


Symbiosis

by tehtacticianmagician



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Angst, Animals, Fluff, Gen, General Shenanigans, Humor, Monsters, Some Spoilers, idk how to tag this sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-07-12 09:32:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 39,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15992468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehtacticianmagician/pseuds/tehtacticianmagician
Summary: H'aanit often captures monsters of all shapes and sizes. But her latest catch might be too much for her to handle. Can H'aanit take care of a dangerous Manymaws or will she end up causing more harm than good?





	1. Worm and Plant

**Author's Note:**

> There's not enough H'aanit-centric fics so I decided to make one. It has spoilers for Tressa's and Cyrus's chapter 2 as well as mild spoilers for someone's chapter 3 and someone's chapter 4. But they're the kind of spoilers you won't recognize unless you've done them? Anyway I hope you enjoy!

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Get into the abandoned mine. Kill the big monster that guarded it. Reap the rewards from the grateful townspeople.

But H’aanit had a different idea. When the giant, squirming pile of worm-like tentacles was on death’s door, H’aanit suddenly pulled out a large net and casted it over the creature. She and Linde worked together to subdue it and tie it up tighter than a cait’s bag. Technically, they still won. But the rest of her travel companions would have liked a bit of warning before she opted to capture the Manymaws. Especially since they had to deal with its unholy presence now.

“Ugh! I can’t believe how bad it smells!” Tressa complained loudly as they exited the mine. She had a hand over her nose and mouth to shield her from the noxious odors, so her words sounded funny. “I thought it’d get better once we got some fresh air!”

“I believe the foul smell may be coming from its incredibly acidic digestive system, which gives it a terrible breath. So there’s no way of avoiding it as long as it’s with us, unfortunately.” Cyrus also had a hand covering his face. 

Olberic said nothing, but his distorted, pained expression told all that he needed to say. And H’aanit appeared as if she didn’t notice the smell at all. But it may be because she was having great difficulty getting it out of the caverns. Most of the monster’s bulk was still in the shadows and only the tips of its tentacles, teeth fully extended, could be seen. She had to pull at it with the ropes that were still tightened around it. And even when it was finally forced into the afternoon sun, it still reached towards the entrance of the mines like it wanted to go back inside.

“Cometh now! Doe not be so stubborn! We both knowen- ugh! We both knowen why thou cannot stay in there any longer.”

H’aanit grunted as a tentacle slapped her head but she kept on tugging it along. Linde helped with her efforts by staying behind the monster and growling at it. Each time she snarled, the Manymaws inched ahead a little out of startlement.

“Uh. At this rate, we’re going to arrive back in Quarrycrest by sunset.” Tressa pointed out with a sigh. “H’aanit, is it ok if we go on ahead without you?”

“Goe ahead. I may be needen a little bit more time with this monster but I will catchen up shortly.” H’aanit replied.

“‘A little bit’ is an understatement.” Olberic pointed out. “Besides, you cannot bring the Manymaws into town with you. We were tasked to slay it, not befriend it. What would the townspeople think if they saw you carting it around like this?”

“... Fair point. Then I will stay out here and waiten for thy return.”

“You can’t just leave your monsters outside while you take a trip into town?” Cyrus inquired. “You have done that before.”

“I cannot doe that with a beast such as this. Whilst it is newly tamed, it is unpredictable. I needen to keep a close eye on it or else...” 

As H’aanit pointed at the Manymaws, she noticed that one of its smaller tentacles was trying to bite through the rope. She stopped mid-sentence to focus her attention on wrestling it away.

“You are sure you can handle things by yourself?”

“Yes, Sir Olberic. I wille be fine. A hunter knows how to handleth herself in the wilderness. Besides, I am not truly alone.”

And with that, it was decided. H’aanit set up a makeshift camp while the others went back to Quarrycrest for the time being. Her camp was located in a spacious dent in the cliffside, so no one could spot its inhabitants unless they walked right up to it. This privacy enabled her to really get to work on the Manymaws.

Except she didn’t need much work on the Manymaws after all. After feeding it a piece of dried meat, it let out a joyous gurgle and became much more cooperative with H’aanit. It surprised her at how quickly it became docile, but that was perhaps because she and her friends beat it within an inch of its life not too long ago. Even though it seemed content with one piece of meat, she fed it more meat anyway, just to be on the safe side. Once it was happy as a clam, she felt confident enough to loosen most of its bindings, but not all. The Manymaws stretched its many tentacles, gnashed its teeth, and shook the leaves that grew at its base. Its full size and extent of its sharp and poisonous bits were on display, but also the numerous wounds that covered its body. Some of them H’aanit could take care of by wrapping linen around them or by cleaning them with water and a little bit of salve. Others, like the burn marks or amputated limbs, will have to heal with time.

“I knowe it hurt. Prayeth forgiven me.” H’aanit murmured as the Manymaws recoiled from her touch for the thousandth time. Eventually, she managed to dress all the injuries that she could take of. During that time, her other monster companions came out of hiding. First was a scrawny humanoid rat with a dagger in its mouth. Its nose twitched as it cautiously examined the newcomer, but it then deemed it mostly harmless and relaxed. Then a cracked egg pushed itself into the open with its two exposed arms. It made a quiet but repetitive chirping noise, voicing its desire for food. The Ratkin and Linde and even the Manymaws joined in the chorus, much to H’aanit’s annoyance. Thankfully the remaining creatures, which included a ball of leaves and twigs, an animated skeleton, and a floating lantern, didn’t have any vocal cords to add to the din.

“Enough of that! I heardest thee the first time.” She responded as she picked up her bow. Sometimes she envied at an animal’s singular want for food, but right now was not one of those times.

A while after she went out to go hunting, H’aanit came back with several choice catches. She was slightly alarmed that her human companions didn’t come back from town yet, but the insistent cries of her other hungry friends chased that thought out of her mind. She tossed a couple of large birds she shot out of the sky herself to Linde and the smaller monsters, which they devoured eagerly. And to the Manymaws, she hauled over a freshly caught mountain goat. The great beast ‘examined’ its food by pressing several tentacles against it. The small teeth at their ends nibbled holes into the goat’s pelt. At first, H’aanit feared that her catch was not to its liking when it drew back its tentacles. But then, with a ghastly roar, it grabbed the goat, flung it into the air, and caught it in its biggest mouth as it fell down.

“I see that thou likest to play with thy food.” H’aanit remarked with a chuckle. The Manymaws seemed content with its meal and stretched out the tentacles near its base. Some of them dug into the earth, while others just lounged around. One of them was subjected to Linde’s interest and was being swatted by her paws. A normal bystander might be concerned for the big cat’s safety, but H’aanit could tell that the Manymaws did not mind her and that Linde was smart enough to not provoke it any further.

She was actually a little bit more worried about how she might continue to provide for it. As adept at hunting as she was, it wasn’t likely that she would always find enough game for the Manymaws. The other option was to let it hunt for itself, but that idea had its own host of problems too. A monster this size would need a lot of prey to sustain itself, which would ultimately wreak havoc on the local ecosystem. And she had no way of knowing if it wouldn’t attack humans if she didn’t keep an eye on it. It acted tame and demure now, but hunger was a powerful force that could change even the friendliest of creatures.

At least her other monsters didn’t require as much maintenance. Two of them, the skeleton and the lantern, didn’t require any feeding at all. And the last of them, the tumbleweed, only needed water sprinkled on it twice a day. It was during this watering that Tressa and Cyrus came back from town, to H’aanit’s relief. They carried with them the reward for their latest quest, which consisted of mostly money and a few items. Tressa in particular was now sporting a gold ring with a polished skystone embedded in it, much to her delight. She claimed that it was enchanted with a spell that would protect her from harm in battle, although it looked like a perfectly normal ring to H’aanit.

“Here’s your share of the reward!” The young girl gleefully handed her a stack of leaves. “How is Tumbles doing, by the way?”

“It is faring well.” H’aanit glanced at the now damp wanderweed next to her. “It mayhap have gotten a little bit bigger recently.”

“Awesome! Now if only Shelly could grow as fast.”

“I woulde worry not for the hatchling, Tressa. Tis normal for its species to hatch slowly, but when it fully emergeth, it will be a sight to beholden.”

“I know! But what if it leaves before it completely hatches? I don’t even know what Shelly’s supposed to look like!”

“If the hatchling wisheth to return home, then I cannot deny its desire for thy curiosity. Besides, if we continueth on this road, we will surely run into its adult kin later. Just haven patience.”

H’aanit’s answer wasn’t good enough for Tressa, who wore a pout on her face. The merchant had taken up the habit of naming all of H’aanit’s monsters. And by naming them, she had grown more attached to them, which meant her heart broke a little whenever one left the party. H’aanit never named her temporary companions for that reason, and tried to explain that to her. But Tressa stated that naming the monsters made her feel safer and more comfortable around them. So she let her continue on. Besides, H’aanit found some amusement in the names Tressa thought up. She wasn’t a poet by any means, so some of her masterpieces besides Shelly and Tumbles included Nightlight the dark sentinel, Kenneth the Ratkin, and Mr. Bones the skeleton. She wondered what Tressa was going to name the Manymaws, since there was no apparent rhyme or reason to her naming scheme.

A sharp yelp caught the two girls’ attention. H’aanit’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Cyrus without a hand and a tentacle of the Manymaws pointed at him. But it turned out that he had just pulled his hand into his sleeves when the Manymaws tried to bite it off.

“Cyrus? What art thou doing?”

“I was just studying the Manymaws. But don’t worry! I’m not hurt at all. I maybe just have gotten too close.”

He waved his unharmed hand in their direction. H’aanit let out a sigh of relief but she still was anxious for him. This wasn’t the first time Cyrus had gotten too close to a monster to sate his thirst for knowledge. And although he hadn’t been badly maimed by anyone yet, she reckoned it was only a matter of time.

“Well thou shoulde study it from afar next time. The Manymaws is not fully accustomed to humans yet, especially to ones that pryeth too much.”

“I understand that. But did you know?” That was a hint that Cyrus was going to go off on one of his long-winded speeches. “The Manymaws is actually a symbiotic entity between a plant and carnivorous worms. Since it usually resides in caves with little sunlight and poor soil, the worms move the body and catch prey for nourishment while the plant provides the structure for the worms to live in. As an additional bonus, the smell of rotting flesh from the digesting meat attracts more prey, or pollinators such as flies that are too small to catch. In times of little food, the plant part can burrow into the ground and soak up nutrients from the soil, while the worms feed on its leaves. It’s truly fascinating how two radically different beings can live and thrive together.”

“Woooow.” Tressa stared at Cyrus with wide eyes. “How do you know all this, professor?”

“Oh, Odette had a book on the local flora and fauna of the Cliftlands. She lent it to me when I told her we were tasked with slaying the Manymaws. However, nary a scholar has had the opportunity to see one up close. If I could study this one a little bit more, I may be able to answer the many questions that have plagued them for ages…”

Cyrus moved like he was going to try and touch it again, but loud beratement from H’aanit discouraged him. For all his book smarts, he wasn’t smart enough to not incessantly bother a monster.

“Hey H’aanit! I got a name for the Manymaws!” Tressa spoke up suddenly.

“Oh? What is it?”

Tressa held out a hand towards the monster (at a respectable distance) and made a gesture like she was knighting it. “I shall dub thee… Mawrice!”

“Mawrice?”

“Yeah! Like Maurice, except it’s a Manymaws, so it’s pronounced  _ Maw _ rice.” 

“I… see…” 

“Uh, do you not like it?”

“It is… an adequate name.” H’aanit stammered. She truthfully didn’t know the reason behind the name until Tressa explained it, complete with pronunciations.

“I think it’s a rather plain name.” Cyrus commented. “The pun is humorous, I suppose. But for a grand creature, I think it should have a grand name.”

“Well, professor, what would  _ you _ call it?” Tressa placed her hands on her hips while she pouted again.

“Hm… How about Pluribuccalis Symbifloworm?”

“Huh? That’s a terrible name! It doesn’t roll off the tongue at all and it’s way too long!”

“I can pronounce it just fine. You may just have to practice saying a few times.”

“It might be easy for you because you read from all those complicated spellbooks all the time. Actually, it does sound like something from one of your magic tomes! Are you trying to curse it or something?”

“I am most definitely not! H’aanit, which name do you think fits best?”

Oh gods, now she was being dragged into this childish conversation. Admittedly Cyrus’s name was definitely a handful, but if she said that then she would just be prolonging this argument. Instead, she opted to say something else.

“Why not asken the Manymaws which name it liketh more?”

Tressa opened her mouth as if she was going to protest, then closed it and nodded. “Yeah! Let’s do that! Hey Mawrice! Hey!”

She waved her hands to attract the Manymaws’s attention. Cyrus called out to it in a similar, exuberant manner. “Look over here, Pluribuccalis Symbifloworm!”

But it seemed more fascinated by an apple sized rock on the ground than the names the silly humans gave it. It pushed it around with a tentacle before, without warning, it sucked it up into its mouth. Even though only one of its tentacles was choking, its entire body convulsed and emitted a terrible gagging sound. H’aanit raced over and placed a hand over the choking tentacle. She muttered soothing words as she massaged it roughly, until it finally spat out the rock. The offending object was covered in acidic spit that made it sizzle and smell foul. Tressa recoiled in disgust while Cyrus just watched the entire scene in awe.

“Amazing.” Cyrus whispered. “Your talent with creatures of all shapes and sizes never cease to wonder.”

“Is Mawrice going to be ok?” Tressa apparently was still insistent on using her name for the Manymaws. But H’aanit didn’t mind at all and answered her question plainly.

“It wille be fine.”

“But why did it do that, I wonder?” Cyrus pondered out loud.

“The Manymaws most likely thought the rock as food. It hath no sense of taste like we do, so it can only tellen if something is edible by putting it in its mouth.”

“Ah! So it’s acting like a human baby, in a sense.”

“I supposen.” H’aanit stared at the Manymaws with a picture of an infant in her mind. Her village did not have children often, so she had little experience with them. To her, the writhing mass of leaves and fleshy tubes of teeth did not bear resemblance to a baby in the slightest.

“There are so many things I’m learning from examining this beast that I could never hope to learn from books alone. How exhilarating! Say, if it’s ok for you to touch the Manymaws, could I-”

“No.”

“You guys are having fun with the monster?”

During their conversation, Olberic finally rejoined the group. H’aanit didn’t know what kept him from arriving with the others, but judging from the elated look on his face, it was for a good reason.

“Hey Sir Olberic! What did that guy want to do with you anyway?” Tressa asked.

“The temporary mayor Quarrycrest intends to throw a banquet in our honor tonight. Since, after all, we’ve defeated their former corrupt landlord, the dark sorcerer that was kidnapping people, and now the monster in the abandoned mine, among other things.”

“Oooh! I can’t wait!” The merchant squealed excitedly. “We can finally have some good food on our plates!”

“It certainly is nice to have our efforts recognized for once.” Cyrus commented. “A social event isn’t my typical fare but this town is quite intriguing. I will take any chance to learn more about it.”

“Yes. A chance to dine, drink, and be merry is a chance we should not take for granted. However…”

Olberic’s sentence trailed off as his gaze met H’aanit’s. She knew what he was going to say, yet she still dreaded it.

“Are you able to join us? You told us your newest, er, friend here will need to be watched over at all times. And bringing it with us is out of the question.”

“Thou assumeth correctly. I am not one for parties anyway. I wille not missest it if I do not attend.”

“If you are certain about this, then I will not force you to go. But this begs a bigger question.”

“Yes?”

“What do you plan to do with the creature? With its size and vile appearance, it will attract unwanted attention and make our journey ahead much harder. I understand why you capture monsters sometimes, but I don’t see how this particular monster will benefit us.”

H’aanit should have expected that Olberic wasn’t as fond of it as the others. It was only natural that a warrior such as he remained wary of beasts that could easily kill someone. But she stood firm on her stance regardless. 

“It twas not for our sake, but for the Manymaws’s. The townsfolk only wanten it dead because they desiren access to the mine and its gold. It posed no threat otherwise. But by allowing it to accompany me, I mayhap be able to finden it a new home. One that is not the target of human greed.”

“Hm.” Olberic crossed his arms over his chest. He casted a perturbed glance at the Manymaws. It had receded its tentacles and tightened into a smaller ball of vines and teeth. With how motionless it was, it was apparent that it was in some sort of resting state. Yet he still regarded it with caution and didn’t take his eyes off of it when he spoke.

“I trust that you will be able to rehome it soon. The longer it stays with you, the more trouble it will incur.”

“Worry not, Sir Olberic. I will not alloweth the Manymaws to harm anyone whilest it remainen under my watch.”

“And it should be easy to find it a new home with our help!” Tressa proclaimed. “I’ll keep an eye out for any caves and such. That’s what Mawrice likes, right? Caves?”

“Caves and other dark, confined spaces.” Cyrus answered. “But not too confined, of course. The Manymaws is a perpetually growing creature so it needs all the space it can get.”

“And it can’t be a cave too close to a human settlement. It won’t do to endanger an innocent town.”

“Yeah! See? We all know what to do already! Finding the perfect home for it will be a piece of cake.”

“Thankest thee.” H’aanit had a rare smile on her face. She did truly appreciate the help from Tressa and Cyrus, even though she was confident that she could take care of the Manymaws herself. But she noted that Olberic had his hand on the hilt of his sword during the exchange, as if the mere topic of the Manymaws made him ready for combat. She didn’t feel betrayed by what she knew was a natural reaction from him. He didn’t voice his real concerns out loud, but she could tell that he still had some doubt about H’aanit’s goals, and he was ready to slay the monster if things did not work out.

But his hand fell from his side as he sought to change the subject. “Well then. Now that it’s settled, we should head back into town soon. We wouldn’t want to be late for our own banquet. Are you certain that you will be fine, H’aanit?”

“Yes. Enjoyeth the party in my stead.”

“Very well. We will come back later tonight, when the banquet is over.”

“Bye H’aanit!” Tressa waved as they left the camp.

“Take care of yourself! Oh, and your monsters too, I suppose.” Cyrus also bade her a farewell.

H’aanit waved back until the three of them disappeared from view. How odd. She normally didn’t feel so melancholy when left by herself. Yet she found herself more acutely aware of the lack of their presence. There was no time to linger over that, however. She had more work to do concerning the Manymaws and the other creatures on her care. The hunter stretched her arms and let out a deep sigh to prepare for the long night ahead.


	2. Hunter and Monster

Before long, the sun was setting over the Cliftlands, turning its namesake cliffs an even deeper shade of orange. H’aanit had been keeping herself busy with menial tasks such as arrow crafting, meat drying, weapon maintenance, and cleaning, so she didn’t really notice the time passing by. Her monster companions also entertained themselves by wandering off into the wilderness or by playing with each other. To be honest, it was more of a hassle for her to watch them play than to leave them be when they wandered off. With their varying personalities and sizes, it was easy for them to hurt each other by accident. Especially if the Manymaws was involved. While Linde could steal a bone away from the skeleton without much ill effect, for instance, H’aanit had to discourage the Manymaws from doing the same. If it tried to pull a bone away with one of its tentacle-mouths, it might accidentally swallow the entire skeleton in the process.

Right now, they were thankfully partaking in simpler games. Linde and the Ratkin were chasing the wanderweed and the half-hatched egg creature around like a ball. The skeleton was recovering from earlier antics by resting in a dark recess of the cliff. The dark sentinel was guarding the camp with its usual silent watchfulness. And the Manymaws had enter its ‘sleeping’ state, its tentacles shrunk back and coiled around to give it an almost spherical shape.

H’aanit made a small campfire to work by. Its warm glow illuminated the sticks, feathers, and twine in front of her as she assembled them into arrows. It was rare that she got this much downtime, and she reveled in the peace and quiet. Even so, her thoughts deflected to the others who were in Quarrycrest. What were Olberic, Tressa, and Cyrus doing now? They were no doubt enjoying the party, but what specific activities were they up to? After traveling with them for so long, she often amused herself by predicting what her companions might be up to when she wasn’t with them. For her predictions tonight, Olberic was probably having many drinks and getting into contests of strengths with the townspeople. Tressa would be chatting up potential customers and perhaps scoring a few bargains. And Cyrus would be people-watching and trying to avoid too much attention, especially from single women. Although seeing as how the banquet was about them, she doubt that Cyrus would have much success in the latter endeavor.

Would the people of Quarrycrest notice her absence? Tressa and Cyrus were the ones that kickstarted the ousting of Morlock and the rescue of the missing victims respectively. And Olberic had an undeniable presence, with his large stature and remarkable chivalry. H’aanit, meanwhile, was a woman of few words and lacked as much of a magnetic personality. True, she aided the town just as much as the other three with her keen sense of observation and battle prowess. But she was honestly content with letting her friends take the spotlight because she didn’t perform well in it. She could vividly imagine how much she would fumble over her words while conversing with strangers, or how many social taboos she might commit. Just the thought of making herself look like a fool at such a big event gave her even more of a reason to stay behind.

But no matter how many times she told herself that, H’aanit still wondered about the party. Her yearnings must have soured her otherwise tranquil face, because Linde stopped running after her ‘playthings’ and walked over to her side. The snow leopard purred as she butted her nose against her knee. When H’aanit lifted a hand to pet her, she stuck her entire head underneath it and rested her chin on her lap. Linde’s purring was so strong, it vibrated both her and H’aanit’s entire body.

“Thanke thee.” H’aanit murmured as she continued stroking her soft fur. She was grateful to have a friend that could tell what was wrong with a mere glance at her face, since she wasn’t always so verbally forthcoming. After a minute or two of petting, Linde let out a quiet growl as she turned her gaze outside. Or to be more specific, at the twinkling lights that made up the town of Quarrycrest.

“Hm? Is there something amiss?” H’aanit asked. Linde glanced back at her and growled more insistently.

“Dost thou missen the others?”

Another growl, this time even louder. Like Linde couldn’t believe how dense she was.

“Dost _I_ missen the others?”

H’aanit frowned at her question. Not only could Linde detect when she was troubled, she could sense what troubled her. And she didn’t hesitate cut straight to the truth when H’aanit shielded herself from it.

“... A little bit. Tis not a feeling of abandonment though. I knowen that they will return. But I believe that I missen them because…”

Because she wanted to go there. She wanted to go to the banquet after all. H’aanit couldn’t bring herself say it out loud but Linde knew the answer that was caught in her throat. She flicked her tail towards Quarrycrest and emitted a sharp yowl.

“Thou knowest the reason why I cannot go. I needen to watch the Manymaws. If left unattended, it may leaven much destruction in its wake.”

Linde fell silent for a moment. Then she sat up straight with her chest puffed out.

H’aanit couldn’t help but laugh at how proud she looked. “Thou will taken care of the beast? It can eaten thou up in one bite! I cannot put thou in danger for my sake.”

As if on cue, the other monsters turned their attention to H’aanit and Linde. Slowly but surely, they crawled, shambled, floated, and rolled over to Linde’s side in a show of solidarity. H’aanit gazed over all of them, touched by their support, but ultimately shook her head.

“The Manymaws can eaten you _all_ up. It has not gotten its name for nothing. Besides, as its capturer, tis my responsibility to caren for it. Not yours.”

Her words sparked a commotion amongst the monsters. Linde yelped again and crouched down into a fighting pose. The Ratkin hissed and held up a piece of the rope that she had used to tie up the Manymaws earlier. The two-handed hatchling beated its spindly limbs against its hard shell. And although the skeleton, wanderweed, and lantern remained silent, they displayed similar motivating actions in their own ways.

“Thou meanest what thou sayest? All of thee?”

H’aanit turned her head to stare outside at the distant lights. Six caretakers should be enough for the Manymaws, right? And it was asleep right now. As long as she left enough food for them, it shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. She also had a feeling that they weren’t going to let her live this down if she refused their generous offer.

“Thou hast my deepest gratitude. But if anything should happen, doe not hesitate to find me. Everyone’s safety cometh before the party. Thou understandeth?”

The monsters agreed with varying sounds and gestures of affirment. H’aanit smiled at them and started to make the preparations they needed. Even though it was her fondness for creatures that got her into this mess in the first place, it was their love for her back that enabled small miracles like this. Not long after she tasked them with Manymaws-sitting duties, H’aanit set off in the direction of Quarrycrest. Now she wondered how the others will greet her, after she denied the invitation. They would most certainly be surprised, but their exact reactions will be quite amusing.

 

* * *

 

As it turned out, Olberic, Tressa, and Cyrus were too busy with others to notice her arrival at first. H’aanit was alarmed to see Olberic arm-wrestling with a man as burly as he was, with Tressa shouting right behind him. She wasn’t shouting words of encouragement, but rather goading the crowd to join in on her newest money-making scheme.

“Step right up! Do you think you have what it takes to beat the Unbending Blade of Hornberg? Challenging is free, but why not make a little wager along with it? Win, and earn double your bet from me!”

Granted, H’aanit shouldn’t be too terribly surprised at this. Not only was it in line with her capitalistic nature, she had mentioned this sort of plan before. She shrugged it off because she thought Tressa would never find a willing crowd nor would she convince Olberic to agree to fight for profit. But now he was more agreeable, probably because of the empty cups of liquor on the table next to him.

She wanted to say something, maybe break up this obvious ploy. It felt wrong for Tressa to take advantage of both Olberic’s intoxicated state and the townfolk’s zealousness. But as she watched the arm-wrestling match unfold, she saw that everyone involved looked positively elated. Olberic never had so many people line up to do battle with him before, Tressa got to practice her skills as a merchant with a fun event, and the crowd was stoked to witness such a exciting, blood-pumping fight. So she left them, and instead looked for the third member of their party.

Not surprisingly, Cyrus was chatting with a trio of ladies who were absolutely smitten with his good looks. The commotion around her was too loud for her to hear what he was saying, but she could reasonably assume that he was giving an impromptu lecture of sorts. She was honestly a bit jealous of his charisma that could captivate most female audiences. He could be a complete bore and they would still love him anyway. In a way, Cyrus was like Master Z’aanta in that respect, although their charisma came from two completely sources. Just thinking about Z’aanta right now caused H’aanit’s heart to ache. If he was here, he would teach her how to intermingle like a normal person, how to not feel so lonely-

“Hey! Look who showed up!” A familiar voice rang out from behind.

H’aanit turned around to come face to face with a tall, blonde woman with a similar outfit to Cyrus’s. Odette wrapped an arm around her shoulders while her other hand held a half-empty mug of beer.

“Thought you said you weren’t coming! What made you change your mind? And where’s your snow leopard?”

“Erm.” The unexpected touch and the smell of alcohol in her breath made H’aanit panic for a moment. She had to take a few seconds to recollect herself and to find the answer to her question.

“I… took care of some business I had to attendeth to. And Linde does not enjoyeth crowds very much, so she stayeth behind.”

“Oh? What kind of business?”

“... Monster business?”

“Ah! That’s right! Because you’re a hunter!” Odette seemed a bit too pleased at this obvious revelation. “Really, I’m so glad you’re tagging along with Cyrus. Especially with the latest task the mayor had given you guys. Slaying a Manymaws is no easy feat, but I bet it was a cinch with you around!”

“Er. Quite.” H’aanit couldn’t say much, or she might accidentally reveal the truth somehow.

“You know, Cyrus also mentioned you tame monsters. Which is quite fascinating! I’ve heard of the hunters of the Darkwood clan, but never met one in person. Would you mind showing me how you do it?”

“R-right now?” H’aanit stared at her, flabbergasted.

“Now right now, of course!” Odette pressed a finger against H’aanit’s head. “Maybe next time we meet. Unless a monster was to crash the party right now…”

“Oh. Yes. I woulde be glad to demonstrate.” H’aanit stammered. She couldn’t help but think back to the camp, where were collection of beasts dwelled.

“Perfect. But for now, there’s another monster that needs taming. Or perhaps three.”

“Pardon?” She whirled her head around, fearful that her monsters had escaped after all. But she found no sign of them. Odette sighed, grabbed H’aanit’s elbow, and pulled her in the direction of Cyrus.

“Those girls are getting a bit too close to our mutual friend, don’t you think?” She remarked. H’aanit thought that the same could be said about Odette right now, but she stayed her tongue. Instead, she watched as one of the girls around Cyrus gently placed a hand on his shoulder while he talked on. The other girls, seeing that they could caress him with no issues, also started to touch him in various places. Their teasing was innocuous for now but H’aanit could see where Odette was getting at.

“Was… Was Cyrus always liken this with women?”

“For as long as I’ve known him.” Odette smirked. “Thankfully his charms have no effect when you become more acquainted with him. Surely you feel the same?”

H’aanit nodded and smiled with her. She would be lying if she denied that Cyrus was an attractive man. But once she travelled with him and got to know his various flaws, such as his clumsiness, obliviousness, and complete lack of physical strength, his looks really meant nothing to her anymore.

“Still, we wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened at the Royal Academy.” Odette said.

“But that was a false accusation, no?”

“Well, yes. But if this keeps up, he’ll be the center of more bad rumors before we know it. Off you go then!”

Odette suddenly pushed H’aanit forward. She yelped and once she righted herself, turned her head to glare at her. The other scholar gave her a grin and a thumbs up. Why wasn’t she going to stop the women’s flirtations alongside her? Apparently because watching H’aanit fumble around was also entertaining? Seeing as she wasn’t going to join her, she muttered harsh words under her breath as she focused her attention towards Cyrus.

“... So tell me. What’s Princess Mary like, if you’re her tutor?” A lady dressed in yellow inquired, her lips too close to Cyrus’s ears.

“Oh, she’s a brilliant student! Always asking questions, engaging in discussions, and keeping on top of her assignments! Truly a delightful woman.” Cyrus leaned his head away from the first woman, but ended up too close to another woman anyway.

“The rumors are true though? You have been giving her… private lessons?” The second woman, garbed in blue, smirked as she spoke.

“Of course! Even the brightest of pupils need some guidance now and again. Princess Mary is no exception.”

“You’re saying that you’ve been giving private lessons to all of your students?” The third woman adorned in green asked. Her question caused the trio to erupt into laughter.

“Yes?” Cyrus blinked in confusion. “What’s so humorous about that? As their professor, I do whatever I can to quench their thirst for knowledge.”

“Ah, I guess it’s not really that funny.” The lady in yellow sighed. “In fact, it’s quite admirable. Say, could I become your student too? I have an insatiable thirst as well…”

“Me too! I want to learn too!”

“Let’s all get private lessons together, in fact. The three of us, with you, someplace far away from prying eyes…”

The woman in blue placed a hand on Cyrus’s chest. That was apparently the last straw for him and he moved to get away from them all, knocking over a plate of food. During his struggle, he caught sight of H’aanit, and gave her a pleading look.

As hilarious as this was, H’aanit decided that enough was enough. She pushed through the three ladies, picked Cyrus back up, and pulled him away before they figured out what just happened. She could have been more tactful about it, judging from their protests, but she knew her own strengths and weaknesses. If she stuck around longer, they might have resorted to a battle of words, and that was one fight she might not be able to win.

“H’aanit! Thank the gods for your timely arrival.” He stood back up on his own two feet and straightened his clothes. “Though, weren’t you meaning to stay behind?”

“I changed my mind.”

“Er, I really am grateful you changed your mind and ended up saving me from that sticky situation. But I thought that you weren’t going to come because of Mawrice? And what happened to Linde?”

H’aanit blinked when she heard him use Tressa’s name for the Manymaws. “Linde and my other friends will taken caren of Mawrice. It is placated the last time I saw it, so I forseeth no trouble ahead.”

“Well. I trust your judgement more than mine when it comes to these matters- Odette? Is that you?”

His attention switched from H’aanit to the woman who appeared behind her without warning. Odette had a large grin plastered on her face and a new drink in each hand. H’aanit was concerned that she had far too many drinks, but she ended up handing the cups to her and Cyrus.

“Good job H’aanit! You got him out of there far more efficiently than how I would have done it.” Odette clinked her own glass against H’aanit’s.

“Thanks?”

“I see you two have been interacting while I was occupied.” Cyrus had a smile that matched Odette’s. “How did that happen?”

“Oh, H’aanit was looking as lost as a kitten, so I picked her up. You really shouldn’t leave a woman hanging like that, you know.”

“I wasn’t-” Cyrus slapped his forehead as he groaned loudly. “You must have seen how those ladies entrapped me. I couldn’t do anything even if I wanted to! I daresay I might have made H’aanit a target if I approached her, and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemies!”

“Look at that! You’re finally understanding how women work.” Odette chuckled.

“I’m just saying that they were being very aggressive with their advances. If an unfortunate soul was to disrupt them, that aggression might turn to them instead. It has nothing to do with gender, but basic human instincts and emotions.”

“Gods, I was just joking. You haven’t learned anything at all, haven’t you?” Odette’s smile faded a bit right before she took a swig from her drink.

“And to be frank, you’re only muddling up whatever lesson you’re trying to teach me. H’aanit, have you tried the food here yet? It’s absolutely delectable.”

With his last sentence, Cyrus hurriedly changed the subject so they didn’t have to be subjected to Odette’s teasing any longer. He excused himself and H’aanit from her and guided her over to the dining area. Several long tables were assembled together so that the endless parade of food could continue on uninterrupted. In the center of the tables was a giant roasted pig nesting in a bed of greens with an apple in its mouth. Its sides were already carved open to fill up numerous plates with slices of pork. Cyrus handed one such plate to H’aanit, as well as other dishes of vegetable, bread, and other appetizers. He grabbed some food for himself and they chose a table near Olberic’s and Tressa’s profiteering to dine. As she ate, H’aanit watched Olberic defeat another contestant in a sparring match. Apparently the challenger can choose the kind of contest they will engage in, but seeing as Olberic performed superbly at any physical feat, it wasn’t much of an advantage for them.

“H’aanit, I do wish to apologize for not talking to you earlier.” Cyrus spoke up in between bites. “Had I noticed you sooner, I would have made more of an effort to break free from the women.”

“Tis not a problem.” H’aanit waved his concern off. “Odette just sayeth that to make you flustered. I woulde have never placed her to be a women that liken to torment others…”

“Ah. She’s always like that, but moreso when she has a few drinks under her belt.” Cyrus sighed. “The faculty balls were always a lively event when she attended.”

A quiet laugh escaped from H’aanit’s lips. “It’s a wonder that you and her remaineth such close friends.”

“It’s not so unusual really. Odette was basically my mentor when I began my tenure at the Royal Academy. So I had to endure her criticisms on a constant basis. Only when I hit my stride as a professor did I learn that her sharp words came out of love, not out of malice. That’s when I started bantering back as well.”

“L-love?” H’aanit almost spat out her drink in astonishment.

“Not romantic love, mind you!” Now it was Cyrus’s turn to laugh. “Our relationship is strictly platonic. Much like the relationship between you and Z’aanta, I reckon.”

H’aanit froze for a moment when he mentioned her mentor’s name. It took a while to get over it and to start speaking again. “Z’aanta.... He is different from you and Odette. When I talken about his irresponsibility and lack of self-control, tis not merely a jest. His actions do vexeth me greatly.”

“You misunderstand me. Yes, one’s words can be serious when talking negatively to or about someone they are close to. But their intent is not to hurt. They are speaking out of concern. And concern comes from love, whether is be familial love or romantic love or a different kind of love that’s just as powerful. That’s why I’m not bothered by Odette’s words most of the time, and how I know that you don’t truly hate your master.”

H’aanit fell silent upon hearing his mini speech. She supposed that it held a kernel of truth, but something about it bothered her anyway. Maybe it was how phrased it with a vague sense of arrogance. Maybe she just didn’t want to be lectured right now. Seeking to change the topic, she asked a question about something he said.

“What kind of bantering dost thou partaketh in with Odette? I never hearen thou speaketh in a teasing manner to her.”

“Oh, I used to taunt her about her lack of potential suitors. When I met her, she wasn’t exactly a young woman. And she was always so focused on her studies instead of domestic endeavors that appealed to men more. So as you can imagine, she had a difficult time finding a romantic partner. She did try, but her various attempts seemed to always fail spectacularly. At first, I got a great reaction out of her when they were the center of my jokes. But now she has given up on finding a husband, so I can’t hold that over her anymore. Although we still laugh about it together from time to time.”

“Gods. Cyrus.” H’aanit leaned her face into both of her hands. “There art some things a man should not mock a women about.”

“Are you suggesting that you’re a master of all things feminine now?” Cyrus scoffed. “You’re just as inexperienced at this as I am!”

A ear-splitting roar from the crowd beside them effectively halted their conversation. It sounded like Olberic prevailed over another villager in an arm-wrestling contest. And that villager had betted a substantial sum on it, judging from Tressa’s gleeful expression. As he walked away, Cyrus had a most curious look on his face. It was the kind of look he wore when he had an idea.

“Say, do you believe that you can best Sir Olberic in a fight?”

“... Possibly. I mayhap match him in physical strength. But he hath years of combat experience over me. It woulde depend on what kind of a fight you are proposen.”

“Let’s go with something simple, like an arm-wrestling contest. I do have some leaves on me, so how about you give them a fight that Quarrycrest will remember?”

“Cyrus-”

The scholar left with a fistful of paper bills before H’aanit could object. She watched him talking to Tressa and handing the money to her. At first, Tressa seemed confused as to why Cyrus wanted to take on Olberic, considering his flimsy muscles. But he pointed towards H’aanit, causing her eyes to light up. She nodded eagerly, made eye contact with the newest challenger, and motioned for her to come on down.

Now that Tressa was expecting her, H’aanit couldn’t very well let her down. She weaved through the crowd, intensely aware that all eyes were on her, and made her way towards the table where Olberic sat. Tressa was announcing her arrival in a tone that indicated she was genuinely excited for this show and didn’t care about the potential profit she could make from it.

“Here it is folks! This is the arm-wrestling contest of the century! On the left side, we have our undisputed champion, the Unbending Blade, Sir Olberic Eisenberg! And on the right side is the last in a line of renowned hunters. Hailing from S’warkii in search of her missing master, iiiiit’s H’aanit! Two friends going at it with all they got! Who will be the winner tonight? Even I can’t tell! It’s going to be an intense fight! You don’t want to miss it!”

H’aanit thought that her enthusiastic introduction was a bit too over-the-top but it still put a faint smile on her face. She seated herself across from her opponent and took a moment to examine him. Olberic definitely had a few more drinks since she last saw him, since he was bearing a smile only alcohol could bring out. But she wasn’t certain if that would slow him down or make him even stronger. At least he was worn out by a fair amount of fights already. H’aanit nodded and spoke first to set the mood.

“Whatever the outcome mayeth be, I am honored to duel thee, Sir Olberic.”

“As to you. What happened to staying with the Manymaws, however?” Olberic spoke in a hoarse whisper so the others couldn’t hear what they were talking about.

“It is taken care of. Mayhap the sooner thou can loseth against me, the sooner I can go back to attenden to it.”

“Ha! What a pitiful excuse. I have my winning streak on the line here.”

“Oh? Just thy winning streak? Telleth me, is Tressa going to spliten the profits with thou after the party is over?”

“Er, she hasn’t mentioned anything like that. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering.”

H’aanit could tell that her words had its effect on Olberic. He glanced behind him, towards Tressa, before shaking his head and placing an arm on the table. She did the same to clasp her hand over his.

“Let’s do this! Three… two… one… begin!”

With Tressa’s last word, the arm-wrestling contest started. Right off the bat, H’aanit struggled to keep her arm straight against Olberic’s raw strength and determination. This was going to be an uphill battle for her, but not an impossible one. Years of archery and monster wrestling built up her upper body strength so she could at least put up one hell of a fight. She poured all of her energy into her arm, even if for a few minutes no visible change could be observed. The crowd didn’t seem dismayed at the stalemate, but rather excited by it. Their cries mostly consisted of Olberic’s name, but she heard a few call out her name. Inspirited by the few supporters she had, she pressed onwards until finally her efforts bore fruit. Olberic’s arm weakened a smidge, allowed her to push it to her left. He became aware of her sudden lead and quickly corrected it, pushing her arm back until it was leaning towards her right. They oscillated between the two sides for a moment before H’aanit gained the upper hand. Now Olberic was on the verge of losing, although he wasn’t giving up that easily. Getting his hand to touch the table at this point was much, much harder than the fight for control during the last several minutes. He seemed to have gotten stronger the closer he was to defeat. But if she could just give it one last good push-

A terrifying screech filled the air. H’aanit whirled her head around towards the sound of the sound. In that moment, Olberic took advantage of the opportunity and slammed her arm down on the table. The vivacious audience cheered at the climatic end to the arm-wrestling match, but their yells were cut short by another roar.

She recognized that sound. That was the sound of someone who wasn’t supposed to be here.

“H’aanit? What is the matter?” Olberic didn’t dwell in his victory for too long, but sprang up from his chair, ready to assist.

She didn’t answer his question. Instead, she bolted off towards the entrance of Quarrycrest. Already there were people fleeing in the opposite direction, making her running more difficult. Fortunately, her friends noticed that something was amiss and joined her. She would need all the backup she could get to take care of this mess.

On the stairs that led to the town was the hulking, slobbering figure of the Manymaws. The town guard surrounded it, spears and swords pointing towards it, but none of them made a move to strike it down. They were all too frightened at not just the supposedly slain monster, but also the other smaller monsters that surrounded it. There was a Ratkin and a skeleton on top of it, holding onto broken pieces of ropes in an attempt to reign it in. An egg with arms jutting out of it clung to another rope as it dangled precariously in the air. Flickering shadows casted by the dark sentinel engulfed the tentacles near its base to slow its movements. And Linde was thrown off of a thick tendril that she sank her claws into. The cat flew in H’aanit’s direction, and she ran towards her, preparing to catch her or cushion her fall. Linde thankfully landed on all four feet next to H’aanit. Her fur was standing on end, her tail was sticking straight up, and her teeth were bared for another round of combat.

“H’aanit! I thought you said the Manymaws was taken care of!” Olberic yelled as brandished his sword.

“It was!” H’aanit grimaced. She didn’t pull out her weapon immediately like the others. There was something about how the Manymaws roared that made her believe that it wasn’t here to fight. But if it was provoked, then there would surely be a dangerous struggle ahead.

That’s why she had to convince the others to lay down their arms first. H’aanit ran out towards the guards until she was between them and the Manymaws. The guards were shocked that someone would block their way. Even when they recognized her, they didn’t lower their weapons.

“Holdeth! This monster is not thine enemy!” She shouted as she held her arms up.

“Then what is it doing here?!”

“Yeah! What’s the meaning of this?!”

“I-” H’aanit’s sentence was cut off by another blood-curdling shriek from the Manymaws. All of the sudden, she felt something wrap around her waist and lift her up. She let out a shriek of her own as the Manymaws’s tentacle lifted her up into the air. And then it let go of her, tossing her towards the starry sky. H’aanit closed her eyes and embraced whatever fate might have in store below her. This must be what the dead goat felt like before it was swallowed whole…

She landed on the back of the Manymaws, right beside the Ratkin and the skeleton. Although it was a softer landing than if she fell into the ground or one of its mouths, she still yelped in pain upon impact. H’aanit sprawled out and remained motionless for a while to gather up her strength. She was sure that she earned many bruises from that fall. But luckily nothing felt broken. She was spurred into sitting up when she heard the commotion below from her worried companions and frantic guards.

“H’aanit? H’AANIT!” shouted Tressa.

“Are you alright?! Please say something if you’re still alive!” Cyrus called out.

“Release H’aanit at once or I will cut you down!” threatened Olberic.

“I’m fine! I am not harmed!” H’aanit held up an arm to let them know she was ok. The tentacles she was sitting on vibrated as the Manymaws crooned, or at least emitted a noise that resembled a croon. She narrowed her eyes and gently slapped a tentacle in irritation.

“I am not thy prey or plaything! Do not tossen me up here like that again!”

The Manymaws made that strange moaning sound again. Its lengthy stalks bent downwards so she could climb off its back. That feat caused her bruises to flare up and she couldn’t hide the surge of pain when her feet reunited with the ground. Olberic and Cyrus dashed over immediately to help her stand up straight.

“Thou missest me?” H’aanit continued berating the Manymaws, despite the odd looks the others were giving her. “Just because I left thou behind to meeteth with my friends does not me thou should doest the same! Looken upon all the trouble thou hast caused by charging in here like a lost pup!”

The Manymaws gargled as it pressed a small tentacle against H’aanit’s cheek. She pushed it away, still upset at this impossible monster.

“Er, H’aanit?” Tressa interrupted her before she reprimanded it more. “We have company.”

She turned around just as the temporary mayor of Quarrycrest arrived at the scene. Jeorge Jaspermill was ordinarily a pleasant man around Cyrus’s age. But now his eyebrows were furrowed, his mouth was transformed into a deep frown, and his eyes were filled with anger and disappointment.

“Dear travelers. Would you care to explain why a monster I had sent you to dispatch is still alive and at my town’s doorstep?”

The trio had no clarification ready for him. Cyrus stammered as he sought to come up with an adequate excuse. Tressa just bursted into a flurry of profuse apologies. Olberic remained silent and gave H’aanit a sidelong glance, expecting her to say something. But her lips were sealed shut as well. She could hardly find the words needed to tell him how this mess happened and why the Manymaws wasn’t a threat to the town any longer. And she had a feeling that the mayor wasn’t going to be satisfied with any answer she gave him. He had good reason to, but it made coming up with an explanation that much harder.

“I-” Her wavering voice rang out loud enough to quiet the other two. “Mr. Jaspermill, I am terribly sorry for the commotion I have causeth thee.”

“H’aanit, is it?” The mayor pointed his hateful eyes at her. “You are a hunter, are you not? How could one of your profession let an abomination such as this roam the earth?”

“The Manymaws is not an abomination! It is a living being with a right to surviveth and thriveth like everyone else!” His loaded comment gave her the courage to finally speak up. “I am not just a hunter, but a hunter frome the Darkwood clan. We hunt to feedeth ourselves and protecteth our loved ones. Not for sport, nor for pleasure, nor to satisfy our wante for gold. When we defeateth the Manymaws, I captured it so I may findeth a home far from here that will not endanger others. It is not a threat to thee anymore, except when leften alone apparently. Even then, it arriveth here solely to seeketh me out.”

Mr. Jaspermill clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles started to turn white. “Is that so? Valuing lives of monsters over humans is not something I agree with. If this is what you believe, then I cannot welcome anyone with such a philosophy into our town.”

“Huh?! You can’t be serious!” Tressa blurted out. “It was just an accident! Mawrice really wasn’t trying to eat anyone!”

“Who is Mawrice?”

“Mawrice is, ah, the name of the Manymaws.” Cyrus muttered. “But I have to stand by my friends here. Slaying a beautiful specimen would be a tragedy. Normally I understand that it will have to be done to ensure the safety of the town, but H’aanit is an accomplished hunter. If she wishes to rehome it, then she will rehome it. The outcome will be mostly the same either way, except that we get an added peace of mind.”

“You all are talking nonsense.” Mr. Jaspermill growled. “Peace of mind because an ugly beast is running free? What about peace of mind for my citizens? Now they have to worry getting eaten alive by a walking affront to nature!”

“I assurest thou, the Manymaws will not bothern you anymore.” H’aanit replied.

“Pfft. How can I trust you when you all lied once before?”

“Because I will be leaving this town shortly, per thy request. And I will be taking the Manymaws withe me.”

“H’aanit…”

“It is alright, Tressa. I cannot remaineth in such an unwelcoming place. The wilderness better suits me. I will let thou deciden if thou will followeth me or not.”

H’aanit tapped on the Manymaws, beckoning it to follow her. It crawled after her by shuffling the tentacles that grew beneath its leafy base. Her other monsters trailed after her as well. For a moment, she thought that she was going to leave her human companions behind too. But they set out shortly afterwards alongside her, after apologizing to the mayor once more. The group of travelers walked in silence and in darkness for a while, using only the purple glow in the sentinel to light their way. When they arrived back at camp, they went to work at preparing the site so they could rest easy for tonight. Once Olberic relit the campfire, H’aanit spotted the squashed leafy remains of the last member of her monsterous party.

“Oh no! Tumbles!” Tressa sounded like she was about the cry. “Is it going to be alright? Please tell me it’s not dead.”

“The wanderweed is still alive. It is merely flattened.” Presumably by the Manymaws during its struggle to escape, but she didn’t say that out loud. H’aanit scraped it off of the ground and gently folded it until it resembled a ball. She then tied it up with some twine so it would hold that shape as it recovered. It was a little lopsided and definitely smaller than before, but she had no doubt it would grow back to normal with some water, sunlight, and time.

She didn’t know if the same could be said about the other three humans, however. No one said anything yet, but the lingering regret in the air was so palpable, she could reach out and grab it. H’aanit needed to say something before the events of today were washed away by sleep. She especially needed to say it before Olberic offered up what was on his mind. He had been completely quiet since the Manymaws stormed through the party. Judging by the furtive glances at her and the Manymaws, she had a sneaking suspicion that he actually agreed with the mayor.

H’aanit took a deep breath before taking the plunge. “Everyone… I must apologize for ruinen the party.”

“Don’t apologize, H’aanit!” Tressa shook her head. “That was something out of your control! It’s not your fault!”

“It is my fault though. I shoulde not have left the Manymaws alone to joineth the celebration. Had I been more responsible, all of thou would still be allowed into Quarrycrest.”

“Worry not about it! It sounded like you would have been downright miserable if you stayed here on monster-sitting duty.” Cyrus also denied H’aanit’s apology. “I don’t terribly mind cutting the party short just to include you. Especially if it meant enduring those ladies’ advances for the entire night.”

“I’m sure that Odette woulde have steppen in sooner or later…”

“Wait. Cyrus, what are you talking about?”

“It’s a rather long story…” He said to start the retelling of the sparse time they spend together at the party. Meanwhile, H’aanit turned her attention to Olberic, who gave her a cold stare back. His blank expression was somehow more intimidating than an angry one. She breathed in deeply again.

“Aren thoust going to say ‘I told thee so’?”

“I would. But you understand what you did wrong already. There is no point in beating a dead horse.”

H’aanit let out a sigh of relief right before Olberic interjected with a “But!”

“Mr. Jaspermill had a point. You cannot risk human lives just to save a monster. So what if you fail to rehabilitate the Manymaws? Or what if grows so attached to you, it would attack others that would approach you? It’s already quite unpredictable, as you undoubtedly noticed.”

“I will not fail in rehoming it. This, I sweareth.” H’aanit crossed her arms over her chest.

“Your oath isn’t good enough. Words cannot protect anyone. Only actions can.” Olberic said in a similarly defiant tone.

“Then alloweth me to act before thou makest thy judgement. It hath scarcely been a day since the Manymaws accompanied me. If it continuen to be a danger to us all… then I wille doeth what I must. Until then, I wille not repeat tonight’s mistake and keepeth by its side at all times.”

That seemed to be enough to put Olberic’s mind at ease. He didn’t accept her statement completely, but his frown softened and he glanced towards Cyrus and Tressa for a moment. They were still talking about his misadventures at the party. Tressa burst into a raucous laughter, much to his embarrassment. After seeing that they were preoccupied only with each other, he focused his attention back to H’aanit.

“Tell me. Do you truly believe in what you said to the mayor? That all living beings have a right to survive and thrive?”

“Yes. Of course. What art thou getting at?”

“Do you think that all living beings have a purpose as well then? Like the Manymaws. What purpose must it have that you would fight for its right to fulfill it?”

That was a surprisingly deep question coming from a man like Olberic. H’aanit had to pause and think about it in order to form a satisfactory response. “For beings such as the Manymaws, it may haveth a simple purpose in life. To feedeth, to breedeth, to dieth, and then to provideth nourishment for the earth and its plants. Then other beings will eateth the plants and continueth the cycle. If this cycle is disrupted, such as if we slaughteren scavengers such as the Manymaws indiscriminately, then the land will collapse, and many more will dieth than if we had keepeth the cycle.”

H’aanit paused as she noticed something perplexing in Olberic’s eyes. There was another facet to his question, and she soon figured out what it was. “But… For humans, our purpose is much more complex and special than an animal’s. A hunter cannot tellen what purpose a person hath. Tis up to the person to find it out for themselves. Is what thou wishen to hear?”

“Sort of. But it was enlightening, nonetheless. Thank you.”

“You are welcome.” And with that, his interest had faded. He stretched his arms and yawned loudly to signal the end of another night.

“I’ll take first watch. Everyone should get some sleep now. We need to get back on the road early tomorrow if we don’t want to get caught by the guards.”

Soon the others were fast asleep, thankfully including all of H’aanit’s monsters. H’aanit herself still laid awake for a little while longer to think about Olberic’s questions. What if she couldn’t find a suitable home for the Manymaws? Was she just delaying the inevitable by insisting that it could be saved? Or worse, setting up a situation where people get hurt or killed? Its latest escapade and the discussion afterwards made her doubt her convictions. But no. She had to do this. If she believed what she said, she had to stick by them and not give up so quickly. Because it wasn’t her life at stake, but another’s. After her determination was renewed, all those plaguing thoughts disappeared into the void of sleep, enabling H’aanit to drift off into a peaceful slumber.


	3. Water and Life

The past week on the road has been relatively quiet. The group decided to pass through the Riverlands, which H’aanit was secretly grateful for a number of reasons. The lush growth around the babbling brooks made for good hunting so everyone, including her monsters, was kept well fed. They were free from the constant pebbles in their shoes and the sand in their eyes. And the scenery in general was much nicer than the desolate views of the Cliftlands. Being surrounded by greenery and budding life seemed to lift everyone’s spirits.

Even the Manymaws seemed pleased with its new environment. Cyrus mentioned that its species was rarely found outside of the Cliftlands, so she was worried that it wouldn’t adapt. But it gleefully splashed in the water and chased after birds and flying insects as if it didn’t know that it didn’t belong here. In fact, it acted a bit too rambunctious and she had to spend most of her time keeping it under control for the first day or so. H’aanit never saw any other creature act so excited before. It gave her hope that she might be able to find it a new home here, but she had no such luck so far. There weren’t many caverns here that were big enough to house a Manymaws. The one cave that did appear suitable already had a formidable occupant in the form of a giant butterfly. Which the Manymaws ended up eating after a brief battle. But it didn’t appear to like that cave anyway, and continued following H’aanit and company around even after she tried to leave it behind there.

She wondered to herself if the monster was growing too attached to her. Normally she kept herself distant enough from her animalistic friends so that would never be a problem. But she had to keep an eye on the Manymaws at all times, lest it caused trouble again. That may be the root of this problem, and it was something she didn’t have an easy solution to. H’aanit could keep trying to locate the perfect home for it, but if she took too long, it may become inseparable. She could accept it as a permanent companion, but then she could never freely venture into civilization ever again. Or she could nip the problem in the bud right now with a well-grinded axe. That was obviously a last resort, as she wasn’t certain if she could kill the Manymaws. Not because of its strength (although it was a legitimate reason) but because of her own fallible heart. She too had grown too attached to the beast and everything it stood for to her. If H’aanit killed it, it would mean her ideals were wrong and something she couldn’t believe in. And if she couldn’t believe in the core values taught to her from childhood, what kind of hunter was she?

So she pressed onwards. Now was not the time for worrying about her last resort. They stopped at a meadow neighboring a small river, with green grass and small white flowers that swayed in the gentle breeze. Cyrus sat on a rock next to the stream, reading a book. Olberic excused himself to scout the area for potential enemies. And Tressa was trying to catch fish along with several of H’aanit’s monsters. Out of all of them, the Manymaws was doing the best because it could just suck up water, dirt, weeds, insects, and countless tiny fish with its mouth-tentacles. At first, it just spat out what it couldn’t eat. But then it gained a mischievous streak and hosed Tressa down with a blast of water. Several times.

“Is it just me, or is Mawrice not as stinky anymore?” Tressa asked the others while wringing the water out of her hat.

“I have noticed that too.” Cyrus looked up from his book. “I presumed that it has been absorbing the pristine waters around these parts, being part plant and all. The water may be basic enough to neutralize its acid so it doesn’t emit a noxious odor when digesting food. That’s also why you didn’t suffer from severe acid burns when Mawrice sprayed you just now.”

“Wait, what?!”

H’aanit could help but laugh at Tressa’s reaction. But she too noticed that the Manymaws smelled a great deal less offensive ever since they arrived in the Riverlands. Although Cyrus found it fascinating and Tressa was thankful about it, she saw it as another problem to ponder about. If its acid was less powerful, then it would have a harder time dealing with enemies when she did find a new home for it and left it alone. Maybe that’s why it didn’t want to part ways yet. So was there no possible habitat for the Manymaws in the Riverlands due to the water’s properties? The next land over was the Sunlands, which H’aanit doubted was the right place for it. Without any water, the Manymaws would surely shrivel up under the intense sunlight.

“H’aanit? Is there something the matter? You have the most concerning look on your face.” Cyrus’s voice interrupted her train of thought.

“Ah.” She was about to shrug off her worries, but hesitated. If anyone would know a solution to her problems, it would be this guy. Cyrus has been making many observations about the Manymaws ever since it joined the party and he recorded all of them down in a book. He hoped to publish his own study on Manymaws after his travels were said and done. So maybe…

H’aanit ended up relaying her thoughts to him and Tressa. After she was finished, Cyrus held his chin with his thumb and index finger, a trademark gesture that indicated he was deep in thought.

“I say you do have a point. The acid and the poisonous breath it generates are a Manymaws’s defining weapons. But that isn’t to say that Maurice won’t survive with a downgraded version of them. Nature has a way of adapting to its environment. Plants overtake abandoned buildings. Animals occupy cities and feed off of human trash. I’m sure that Mawrice will handle the changes just fine, considering that it’s still eating happily despite the partial neutralization of its digesting acids.”

“And it already picked up a new attack to replace it!” Tressa was back in the water next to the Manymaws. “Check this out!”

At first, nothing happened. H’aanit stood there with a wry smile as Tressa tried to coax it to do whatever she was talking about. She shouldn’t have been so smug about it though, because a couple of seconds later, the Manymaws shot out a mostly intact fish which smacked H’aanit in the face. The unexpected blow made her stumble and almost fall over. Tressa’s exuberant laughter and the Manymaw’s odd gurgles filled the air. She held out a hand for her partner-in-crime to high five, but it ignored her and went back to combing the river for more food. That confirmed H’aanit’s suspicion that the Manymaws wasn’t acting on Tressa’s command but because of her own conceited attitude. Still, the fact that she knew about its tendencies well enough to use it impressed her. Between Tressa’s friendliness and Cyrus’s knowledge, they might make for a good substitute hunter when it came to monsters. Not that she mentioned this out loud, of course. Who knows what kind of trouble they might get into if they knew what she was thinking.

Their afternoon break came to an end when Olberic showed up with some interesting news again. He claimed that he spotted a sign that indicated that they were near a settlement. Not Saintsbridge, the biggest town in the Riverlands, but a small village named Lichenbloom. If they left now, they could make it there before sunset.

“Finally! I can sleep on an actual bed for once!” Tressa punched the air in happiness.

“We can all get some good rest.” Olberic concurred. “Except for…”

His eyes turned to H’aanit. She understood why she was being excluded right now but still tilted her gaze downwards. Olberic has been somewhat tolerant of the Manymaws during the last week or so, but as the prospect of being free from it decreased, so did his patience. She could hear the pity, the disappointment, and the exasperation in his voice as he spoke. Especially when he asked his next question.

“Will you be fine by yourself again?”

“Yes.”

“You are certain this time? The last time I asked that question, you ended up with us anyway and caused us a lot of trouble.”

“I learned my lesson and will not maken the same mistake twice.”

“Olberic! Why do you gotta be so harsh on her?” Tressa whined.

“Because I would rather not risk getting run out of town a second time. Some of our supplies are running low and we have to replenish them the first chance we get. Also, weren’t you the one excited to sleep in an inn tonight?”

“I am. But I don’t think I can enjoy a soft and comfy bed knowing that H’aanit is sleeping on the ground at the same time.”

“Thou needeth not worry, Tressa.” H’aanit replied with a smile. “I am used to sleeping in the wilderness during long hunts. The ground mayeth be more comfortable for me than an actual bed at this pointe.”

“Really? I wish I could say the same.”

“And she won’t be completely alone either.” Cyrus interjected. “She has all of her monster companions with her. All seven of them. I’m willing to wager that they’ll give her more company than us.”

“Thou assumeth correctly.”

“Still, I did wish that you found someplace to leave the Manymaws already. Spending the night alone will not be an issue now, but I have a hunch that it will be further down the road, as we get closer to Saintsbridge.” Olberic unfortunately didn’t sound as supportive as the others. “Have you looked around this meadow? Perhaps there is a cave hidden around here.”

“... I have not.” H’aanit admitted. “But this woulde hardly be the place to findeth one. Tis as flat as a wooden plank here.”

Olberic sighed and shook his head. “You have not been searching very hard the last few days. Are you growing too fond of the monster, perhaps?”

“I- That’s not-!” H’aanit could only sputter in anger. How dare he accuse her of taking her sweet time! She knew better than anyone else the reason why they had to find it a new home, and quickly. She especially resented how his suggestion carried with it a demeaning tone, rather than a helpful one. Like he was only offering it because he was insinuating that H’aanit was not working hard enough.

But before she could form a proper response, the Manymaws perked up from its river fishing and spat something out at Olberic. He yelped loudly as that thing stabbed him with its pointy bits and then pinched at his cheek. Cyrus immediately ran over to help pry it off while Tressa howled with laughter. A few seconds later, Cyrus successfully pulled off the offending object, which was a small crayfish.

“How many times do I have to telleth thee! Do not playeth with thy food!” H’aanit berated the Manymaws. Its high pitched rumbling didn’t sound very apologetic at all, but it did try to comfort her by brushing a tentacle against her arm. She shook her head and sighed, accepting its gesture of solace. She briefly considered apologizing to Olberic, but decided against it. H’aanit herself did nothing wrong; it was the Manymaws’s decision to stick up for its friend. She did her part by reprimanding its behavior, but she didn’t need to concede to him anything else. And he said nothing else to her. He only shot the monster a nasty glare as Cyrus cleaned the cut on his face.

The walk to Lichenbloom was short, distance wise, but it felt longer due to the unresolved tension between all of them. Olberic gave the Manymaws a wide berth by staying ahead of the group. H’aanit stewed in silence, wondering about the problems she wondered about earlier. She tried to distract herself with Cyrus’s and Tressa’s conversation about what they were going to do when they reached town, but those treacherous thoughts kept creeping in. Eventually, they reached the town after several hours of walking, but they noticed that something was amiss beforehand. The farm fields they passed by consisted solely of puddles, mud, and washed-up sprouts, with no one attending to them. The lack of people made it easy for H’aanit to find a spot to camp for the night at least. After picking out a field that was relatively dry, she bade the others farewell for now and began to prepare the space almost immediately afterwards.

Except that she didn’t need to. Not even a half hour since they left, Tressa came back alone with a somber expression.

“Back so soon? Were all of thee barred entrance without me?”

“No. It’s the opposite actually. We need you with us, actually.”

“Truely?”

“Yep. You can bring your monsters too. I don’t think they’ll mind.”

That was the first time H’aanit has ever heard someone say something like that. Not that she was complaining. With her curiosity piqued, she and her strange entourage followed Tressa along the rest of the path until they arrived at a tall wooden arch that stood at the town’s entrance.

At first glance, Lichenbloom reminded H’aanit of her hometown, S’warkii. Both towns were small with few buildings that favored sturdiness over style. They both also prefered to coexist with nature rather than build over it. Dirt paths winded all around the buildings, trees grew within the village’s borders, and a lively river ran alongside a small stone wall. However, there were telltale signs of something abnormal here, much like the farmland outside of town. The river’s water was brown with churning mud and its level was unusually high. Soggy bags lined the wall that neighbored the river but they evidently didn’t stop all of the water from leaking through. It must have been a fearsome flood too, judging from the wreckage that was still strewn about. Or the debris remained because this town was just as abandoned as its fields, so there was actually no one around to clean it up.

H’aanit was mistaken about the last part. She spotted Olberic and Cyrus talking to a small gathering of people near one of the undamaged buildings at the town square. The leader of the group appeared to be an old man with greying hair, a slightly hunched back, and white robes that priests of the Sacred Flame often wore. Although they weren’t pristine now since he had to constantly trudge through mud.

“So that is our situation. If you can help us, we- What in the Flamebringer’s name is that?!”

The man cried out in fear when he noticed the approaching bulk of the Manymaws. The other people around him reacted in similarly dramatic ways. Some fled into the building, some pulled out their weapons, and one woman fainted right where she stood.

“Hold! They’re not your enemy!” Olberic held up his arms. “This is H’aanit, a hunter from S’warkii. She’s the traveling companion I warned you about. The one that keeps odd company?”

“Tis a pleasure to meet thee.” She said, as if her words might calm their nerves about the Manymaws.

“Oh. Um. Apologies for such a terrible greeting.” The priest bowed his head sheepishly. “Your friend looked like it stepped out of the depths of hell, that’s all. What kind of creature is this?”

“It is a Manymaws. It came frome the Cliftlands, but it is accompanying me for the time being.”

The said monster reached out a tentacle as if to inspect the stranger, but H’aanit gently pushed it back.

“Ah. That would explain why I never laid eyes on such a thing before. Oh. But where are my manners? My name is Morris Muir, and I lead the church of Lichenbloom. Or at least I used to.”

“What happened?” Tressa asked, since she was obviously not here for his explanation.

“It is a long story. A week ago, we experienced catastrophic floods from the heavy rain storm that passed by here. Houses were destroyed, crops were ruined, and worst of all, three children were swept away by the river.” Morris made a sign of the Flamebringer with his hands as he mentioned that. “We searched and searched for the children, but never found them. We feared the worst had happened to them. While we grieved, a strange man came to us, dressed in black robes and carrying a strange statue. He came in the name of the Savior, whatever that is. He claimed that if we turned our backs on the Sacred Flame and worshipped the Savior instead, he could restore our town and the lives of the lost children. Most of us agreed that he spoke nonsense at first. But then he showed us that one of the children, a girl named Eleanor, was alive and well thanks to his fervent prayers to the Savior. That convinced most of the village to follow him. They kicked me out of the cathedral and fortified themselves in there so their prayers wouldn’t be interrupted. I haven’t seen them since they left a few days ago. But I know that they’re still alive at least. I hear their chanting and praising when I pass by the church everyday. But we don’t have the strength to stop the man’s heresy. The people here are the only ones left that haven’t dropped everything to follow him.”

Morris gestured to the people behind him. There were only seven others, and four of them were just as old as the priest. The remaining three consisted of a pregnant woman, her young boy, and a man missing an arm.

“So that is why I wanted you here, H’aanit. You and your monsters. This is a delicate situation that will require all of us working together.” Olberic stated.

“But I do not seeth how I am needed.” H’aanit nervously glanced his way. “My monsters do not handleth things delicately, if thou hast not noticed. Letting them fighteth alongside us when there art.... How many people are in the church?”

She turned her gaze to Morris next. He replied, “Around sixty or so.”

“Letting my monsters fighteth when there art sixty innocent villagers in a tight space will resulten in at least some casualties. Especially if the Manymaws is broughteth into the equation.”

Cyrus shook his head upon hearing her protest. “That doesn’t mean you should be excluded. Our current plan is to find a way to defeat the black man without risking an all-out brawl, for the reasons you just said. I’m sure your other talents will help us here one way or another. And if a fight did somehow result, your strength will be greatly valued.”

“If thou sayeth so.” H’aanit ultimately relented.

“Excellent! Then I believe our next step is to scout out the church and its interior to better formulate a strategy.”

“Our church is over there.” Morris pointed towards a large building perched on a hilltop. “Ah, if you don’t mind, permit me to join you? I would like to check up on the townspeople today to make sure nothing bad has befallen them. Nothing worse, anyway.”

“Of course! We may need your expertise when creating our plan.” Cyrus nodded.

The trek to the church was brief yet full of tension. As they got closer to it, the echoes of ominous chanting grew louder and louder. Even though they sounded like they were occupied, H’aanit opted to leave the Manymaws on the road, in a spot where she could still see it but the people inside could not. When they finally reached the church, everyone scattered around its perimeter to peek through its windows. They occasionally congregated back together to discuss what they had seen. But after they spent a considerable amount of time scouting, there was one important fact that they couldn’t glean from simple observation.

“There are too many people inside the church to get a good view of the back.” Cyrus said with a frown. “And I reckon that’s where the man’s statue is located. I would like to see it myself in order to determine if it’s magical in nature.”

“But the only window that faces the back is the big glass stained one up there.” Tressa craned her head upwards. The poor girl had to climb onto Olberic’s back in order to peek through the normal windows, so she felt especially frustrated when talking about the high window in question.

“If only you had captured a bird creature.” Olberic pointed his comment at H’aanit. “It would certainly be useful right now.”

“But we mayhap do not need a flying creature to aideth us. If thou would waitest here…”

H’aanit sprinted off, much to the confusion of the others. A short time later, she reappeared with the Manymaws in tow. She was careful to guide it out of the eyesight of any potential watchers in the church and towards the back. The Manymaws stretched its tentacles to prepare for what she had planned. While stretching, it was apparent that its longest limbs could stretch up to the stained glass window. Although the idea of hitching a ride on one frightened Cyrus somewhat.

“Cometh now. The Manymaws is a strong creature and will not droppeth you accidentally.”

“But on purpose? Can it do that?”

“I will guranteeth that it will be on its best behavior. Isn’t that right?”

H’aanit petted the monster, who purred back happily. Cyrus was still hesitant about this plan, but in the end, there was no better option. The Manymaws wrapped one tentacle around H’aanit’s waist and another around Cyrus’s. Slowly but surely, they were lifted up and up until their heads barely peeked above the lower edge of the window. To avoid being seen from inside, they had to remain inside the Manymaws’s grasp and hold onto any gaps or jutting stones in the church’s masonry.

The glass pane they peered through was thankfully colorless so they could get an unobstructed view of the scene below. Countless men, women, and children sat in pews in complete attention to the man dressed in black. He waved his arms and a staff dramatically, which fitted the grand tone of his sermon. Standing next to him was a girl with short, auburn hair and black robes similar to the preaching man’s. She assumed the girl was Eleanor, one of the village’s children that supposedly alive thanks to the Savior. And behind the two of them was a slab of jet black stone around two feet tall, crudely fashioned into a shape of a person. She didn’t recognize it as a symbol of the Sacred Flame or any other religion in Orsterra. So it must be something related to the Savior? She still didn’t know what kind of being this Savior was or whether it was actually a deity, even though she has been eavesdropping on the man’s lectures for quite a while now.

Cyrus’s eyes were focused solely on the statue. After a minute or two of watching, he wriggled in the Manymaw’s grip in an attempt to lift himself up more.

“Stayest still Cyrus. Thou art likely to falleth out if thou keep squirming like that.”

“Sorry. But that statue… If it’s what I think I’m seeing, it would be dire news for us. I must get a closer look!”

He managed to squeeze out enough so the tentacle was wrapped around his legs instead of his waist. But that also left him in a rather precarious position. He held onto the wall as best he could, but his poor sense of balance and the Manymaw’s tiring tentacle made him wobble in the breeze.

“Hm. It sure is windy up here, isn’t it? Ah-!”

Cyrus let go of the stony surface for one second to adjust his body but ended up falling over backwards. The Manymaw’s grip on him was a lot looser than it should be so he was in real danger of plummeting to the ground. It was only H’aanit’s quick reaction that saved him from that dismal fate. She pulled herself over, almost freeing herself from the Manymaws as well, and grabbed him by the hand. She then reeled him back in and ended up wrapping one arm around his chest and grabbing the wall with her other arm. They were so close, she could feel his rapidly beating heart through his clothes.

“Oh. Uh. Thanks.” He muttered without looking at her.

H’aanit couldn’t respond. This position was a bit embarrassing for her, and saying something would cause her to dwell upon it more. Luckily, after Cyrus straightened himself and peered through the window again, he got his answer.

“That statue has a blood crystal embedded in it. Two of them, actually. They’re supposed to resemble its eyes.”

“Hm? Are you certain about this Cyrus?”

“Most definitely. The feeling is faint, but I can sense the same kind of magic that we found in Quarrycrest. Now whether he’s using it to bewitch the people or for some other nefarious purpose I can’t tell. Also, er, I would like to get down now.”

“... Right.” H’aanit poked the Manymaws, commanding it to lower them to the ground. It did what it was told and they were soon reunited with the others. When Cyrus shared what he saw, everyone’s face turned pale at the thought of what might await them inside.

“If the man is using the blood crystals to entrance everyone, it may be even harder to break them free from his spell.” Olberic muttered to himself. “Perhaps a fight is the only thing that will rouse them.”

“Are you mad?! I know you’re strong, but you can’t hope to fight sixty people at once!” Cyrus objected.

“And there’s women and children! Are you seriously going to fight them too?” Tressa asked, then continued talking after a brief pause. “Wait. Nevermind. Don’t actually answer that question.”

H’aanit remained quiet so she could come up with her own solution. “What if we taken the statue? That woulde surely breaken his hold upon the townsfolk.”

“That could work.” Cyrus nodded. “If we are certain that it’s actually being used like that. If it isn’t, we will just be swarmed by the crowd he still has control over.”

“Yeah. You don’t a magic spell to brainwash people. Words can be a powerful enough tool, as I learned from Ali.”

“In that case, we also need to turn their minds against the man in black. Perhaps Morris here could say something to convince them?”

“If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have asked for your help!” Morris replied to Cyrus with an exasperated voice. “Believe me, I tried to talk to them at first, to no avail. If I couldn’t do it then, I certainly couldn’t do now, when he has them under his grasp for several days.”

“How about we shock them out of it then? Actions speak louder than words.”

“You are proposing to fight them after all, Tressa?” Olberic asked with the faintest of smiles.

“No!”

“So we surprise them somehow and steal the statue to cover all of our bases. All while making sure no harm comes to the villagers.” Cyrus had an interesting smile on his face, one that often appeared when he faced a challenging puzzle. “Stealing the statue may be the most difficult part of the mission. Since we will be drawing attention to ourselves by startling them, it will not be easy to grab the statue unnoticed.”

“Hm…” Tressa had a peculiar look on her as well, but it was peculiar in a different sort of way. “I think I may have an idea. But I don’t think you guys will like it.”

“Oh? Pray telleth, what sort of plan dost thou have?”

“Yes, let us hear it at once.”

Tressa’s strange grin grew bigger at H’aanit’s and Cyrus’s eager inquiries. “Well, I’m going to need everyone in this together. And I mean everyone. Linde, Mawrice, Mr. Bones, Nightlight, Kenneth, Shelly, and, well, I would include Tumbles, but it’s hurt right now so I’ll give it a pass. So here was what I was thinking…”


	4. Life and Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to bump up the fic rating from this chapter onwards because it got more violent than I intended. Don't worry, there's nothing terribly graphic. Just a bit more violent than what I feel a G-rated fic should be. Apologies if this bothers anyone!

“... According to the teachings of the Sacred Flame, death is a natural mechination that awaits at the end of everyone’s journey through life. Even the most holy, the most righteous, the most loyal follower of the Flamebringer, cannot escape this fate. Tell me, what sort of god devises such a terrible plan for us all? Can you truly say, without a doubt in your heart, that he is a loving god when he allows his children to die?”

The man in black leaned forward to peer into the eyes of the person seated closest to him. The woman he stared at did not flinch, but shook her head and mumbled like the rest of those around her.

“And he doesn’t have the mercy to grant us painless deaths most of the time! How many of your friends and kin have fallen to the horrors of war, famine, or disease? I have travelled across Orsterra and witnessed villages such as yours plagued with senseless deaths and grieving hearts. And yet, most of them still seek solace from the Sacred Flame! They keep on praying to a god that continues to forsake them and let them suffer countless more tragedies! That, I say, is the very definition of madness! Especially when there is another god that can stop death in its tracks and even bring back those that have been lost! This savior I speak of is the true Savior of this world! Glory to the Savior!”

“Glory to the Savior!” The crowd’s muttering grew to a deafening volume as it repeated after him.

“The Savior has already blessed the village with a show of power! Standing beside me is one of your precious children that was lost to a recent flood. Eleanor’s wellbeing is proof that the Savior already does more for all of you than the so-called Sacred Flame. Such a miracle is more than what we mere mortals deserve. Glory to the Savior!”

“Glory to the Savior!”

As the crowd chanted back, the not-so-distant rumbling of thunder could be heard. That was strange. He didn’t hear any raindrops pattering on the roof or windows. It wasn’t impossible that a storm had snuck up on them though. Even he got so engrossed in his preachings, he could have easily lost track of time and the outside world.

“The Savior has deigned to grant us more miracles. We only need to believe in him and turn our very hearts towards his great power. If everyone in this village worships him with all their heart and soul, the Savior can even bring back the other lost children! He can restore this land and stop such tragedies from happening again! He is the one and only loving god! He is the true Savior of this world! GLORY TO THE SAVIOR!”

“GLORY TO THE SAVIOR!”

Another thunderclap punctuated their cries. The man quickly glanced at the windows, which were still bone dry. He was slowly developing a suspicion that something funny was going on out there, but he couldn’t leave the people hanging. Not when he was so close to finishing his sermon. So he continued on, speaking loud enough to drown out the strange weather outside. 

Not long afterwards, however, a peculiar purple mist seeped in beneath the door. It was almost unnoticeable at first. But soon, it thickened and darkened into a shadowy smoke and caught the attention of some villagers that sat at the very back. They yelped, stood up in alarm, and hurried to the front of the room to avoid it. The ruckus they caused spread quickly amongst the townsfolk, much to the man’s dismay. He tried to calm them down with choice words about the Savior, which worked for a little while. Then another peal of thunder rang out just as the great wooden doors of the church slammed open.

Standing in the doorway was a massive figure with a heavy cloak and hood that covered its entire body save for its bony hands and a literal skull for its face. It held a lantern that was the source of the shadowy smoke and a fearsome sword that looked too heavy for its skeletal arms. And if that wasn’t enough, a large beast emerged from the billowing haze and emitted an unholy shriek. Its many tentacles ended in mouths with sharp fangs and some of them dribbled spit that hissed and bubbled when it struck the floor.

“THE SAVIOR HAS HEARD YOUR PLEAS!” The skeleton yelled in an unusually high pitched voice. “I HAVE ARRIVED TO RELEASE YOU FROM DEATH’S SWEET EMBRACE! INSTEAD, YOU WILL VENTURE INTO HELL TO SERVE OUT ETERNAL DAMNATION WITH ME!”

The chaos that ensued was as loud as the skeleton’s proclamation. Everyone scrambled over furniture and each other to avoid being taken by the ‘Savior’, screaming as they did so. There wasn’t a readily available escape route, as the menacing figures blocked the doorway, so some people made their own by breaking one of the windows open. Only a few able-bodied adults were able to climb their way out to freedom though. The others that couldn’t flee that why instead turned their fearful cries towards the man in black.

“Did you mean to unleash this evil upon us all this time?!”

“This savior is no savior at all!”

“You’re a devil in human clothing! Get him!”

“No! Stay back, my children!” The man brandished his staff. Although he didn’t wish to hurt them, he didn’t want to get overrun by an angry mob either. As he was pushed back, his body bumped into a table with a small black statue on it. It rattle ominously as the table shook and he sought to steady it with his free hand.

Before any harm was inflicted upon him, the vile tentacle monster roared again and smashed an empty pew into splinters. That instilled a new sense of terror and urgency into the remaining villagers. They quickly abandoned the man and ran towards not only the broken window, but also out the front door that was suddenly left unguarded. The demonic skeleton nor the monster didn’t make a move to stop them from running away. Instead, the skeleton continued to holler and shake its lantern menacingly, causing it to spew more smoke.

“YOUR SOULS ARE ALREADY MINE! FLEEING THIS VILE PLACE WILL NOT RECOVER THEM! ONLY THE SACRED FLAME THAT YOU HAVE TURNED YOUR BACKS TO MAY RESTORE THE LIGHT THAT ONCE DWELLED INSIDE YOU!”

The hulking mass of tendrils hammered a tentacle into the ground this time, loosening dust from the ceiling and sending a tremor throughout the church. On top of the monster was another smaller hooded figure that was barely discernible to the panicking people below. She peeked her head out once or twice to read the situation, but only really acted when the area around the man in black was clear. In one swift and fluid motion, H’aanit nocked her arrow, stood up, and fired her arrow at the center of all this trouble. She intentionally aimed away from his vital organs but that wasn’t quite necessary. A brown-haired girl in black robes appeared out of nowhere and jumped in front of the man, taking the arrow in her heart.

“NO!” H’aanit shouted without meaning to. Her yell startled the Manymaws and it almost bucked her off in shock. She had to hang on tight and duck back down to hide herself, even though her concerned cry already gave away her position. She could still perhaps salvage her botched shot though. She calmed herself enough to stand back up and aim another arrow at the man. Except the girl was still standing in front of him. Her face was expressionless, like she didn’t feel any pain at all, and the wound she sustained was not bleeding. There was something about her inhuman enough to make her stomach churn, yet her hands were still frozen out of reluctance of shooting a little girl.

Her hesitation gave the robed man an opportunity to shout at no one in particular, since everyone else has fled already. “See?! This false savior that appeared before us is nothing more than a sham! These heretics will pay for their insolence!”

The man swung his staff while he quickly uttered a few arcane words. An orb of fire materialized in front of him and he launched it towards the Manymaws. It didn’t have any room to dodge the attack and the fireball exploded with enough force to knock H’aanit off. She slowed her descent by grabbing onto a vine that grew from its leafy base. But she was still rendered helpless as the Manymaws was blasted by another fire spell. It screeched in pain and flailed its many tentacles about, ramming into walls and windows and unfortunately into the hooded skeleton. Its cloak flew open as it fell over, revealing a large burly man, a young woman that was sitting on his shoulders moments before, and the arms and skull of a disassembled skeleton monster. 

The jig was up, but Olberic wasn’t going to give up without a fight. Now that the crowd was gone, he was free to pick up the dropped sword and charge at the man in black. He looked terrified at the muscular brick hurtling towards him, but the girl once again leaped in to guard him. Olberic tried to temper his strike as soon as he saw her, but could not completely stop his sword in time. It slashed at her abdomen, leaving a tear in her robes and a giant gash that spilled no blood. Olberic’s mouth hung open when he saw what happened, but he didn’t remained startled for long. He quickly swung his sword at her once, and then again when she dodged the first attack. The girl held up both of her hands and caught the blade when it came down on her a second time. Despite her small frame, Olberic struggled to free his weapon from her surprisingly strong grasp. It didn’t help that she didn't seem to care that her palms and fingers were being sliced during the struggle. The seconds she bought for her master granted him enough time to fling another fireball at Olberic. He noticed just in time and let go of the sword’s hilt so he could dodge.

“Marvel at the Savior’s miracle! His chosen child, Eleanor, not only came back from death but will not succumb to it any longer!” The man bellowed as he continued to pelt fireballs at his opponent. Olberic refused to surrender even though he had lost his weapon. He tried to get closer to the girl so he could get his sword back, but she was somehow as nimble as she was strong, even while holding a sword that was obviously too big for her and with arrow stuck in her chest. If he got too close, he would risk getting nailed by fire for his efforts.

“This isn’t a miracle! This is just plain wrong!” Tressa yelled back. Even though she didn’t have her weapons on her, she still picked up the shadow sentinel and threw herself into the fray. The lantern conjured wisps of purple flames that joined with Tressa’s wind spells to counteract the man’s fireballs, allowing Olberic to decisively charge the girl. Her unnatural strength and quickness did nothing for her against a tackle from a man twice the size and weight of her. She was launched back a great distance, rolled over a couple times, and stopped face down and unconscious on the ground.

“I’ll show you!” The man cried out when he saw his guardian defeated. “The Savior will bequeath me a portion of his great power to overcome this, just as he did for Eleanor! I just need-”

He whirled around, only to find himself face to face with a snow leopard and a knife-wielding Ratkin. And behind them was Cyrus, without his trademark cloak but with a statue carved out of black stone and embedded with two red crystals. 

“You need this?” He asked with narrowed eyes. “I should warn you, this magical artifact houses dangerous power that should not be wielded by the likes of madmen like you. But I’m more than happy to take it off of your hands so it can be disposed of properly. And perhaps you also would like to share the origin of this statue, to prevent further trouble from happening elsewhere? We have you surrounded, so surrendering is your best option right now.”

The man growled as he turned himself around again. No matter where he looked, there were hostile faces everywhere. Olberic had his sword, Cyrus and Tressa wielded magic at their fingertips, H’aanit’s monsters were ready to pounce at a moment notice, and H’aanit herself had calmed down the Manymaws so both of them were at full attention. He gripped his staff so tightly, his knuckles became white as bone.

“Grr… My Savior! Your humble servant calls upon you during his hour of need!”

He banged the end of his staff on the ground. Without warning, an invisible shockwave pulsed from the blood crystal statue. Everyone was bowled over except the Manymaws, who instead went limp and pinned H’aanit down with a particularly heavy tentacle. Those closest to the statue, Cyrus, Linde, and the Ratkin, were rendered unconscious. Worse, the shockwave seemed to have revived the girl who immediately sprinted over to the fallen scholar by the statue. She roughly hoisted him up, pulled out the arrow in her chest, and dug its tip into his neck. She didn’t break his skin yet, but it was clear what her intentions were if anyone were to make any sudden movements.

“Glory to the Savior!” The man wore a maniacal smile on his face. “Now it looks like I’m the one making the demands. But as much as I would love to exact divine punishment among all of you, the Savior has decreed that it is not your time to fall yet. Instead, we will be taking our leave. Any attempt to stop me will result in a bloody end for the pompous one here.”

He inched towards the table and gently lifted the statue up so he could push the table aside until it was out of the way of an inconspicuous trapdoor. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years, so the man had some difficulty opening it up at first. The brief moment he spent on his endeavor gave H’aanit and her friends enough time to figure out what to do next.

But what can they do? As Tressa and Olberic rose to their feet, the girl jabbed her arrow further into Cyrus’s neck, pricking him enough to draw blood. H’aanit was still stuck underneath the tentacle and didn’t bother to get up, in fear of endangering Cyrus even more. She could feel the Manymaws stirring itself awake though. Which means that there was one last trick they could pull off. It would be risky, but if it meant that they could save Cyrus and stop the two of them from escaping, then they had no choice.

She pinched the tentacle that on her, a signal to go ahead. H’aanit didn’t send all her monsters out on the field in case something like this happened. There was one friend left who couldn’t do much on its own but, with the Manymaws’s help, could pull off an unbelievable stunt. She herself didn’t even know it was possible until this morning, and didn’t think of actually doing it until a while ago, while they were discussing the plan. One of the Manymaws’s tentacles reached towards its top, slowly as to not draw attention to itself, and sucked up something that was hidden there. H’aanit waited until the girl was distracted by the man’s success at opening the doors to pinch again. The tentacle suddenly arched forward and spat out something with astounding speed. This projectile was much larger than the fish and the crayfish from earlier, and it collided dead center against the girl’s face. The force made her drop the arrow and Cyrus as she keeled over. And to ensure that she wouldn’t get back up, the projectile grew arms and clawed mercilessly at her face. The two-handed hatchling seemed to take such great delight in its flurry of scratches, it didn’t even notice the angered man behind it. He held his staff with both hands and swung wildly to bat it away. The egg monster was sent soaring through the air once more, but this time it flew into the wall with a sickening thud. 

“Shelly! No!” Though her legs felt like pudding, Tressa nevertheless wobbled her way over to it. Olberic had a different concern in mind and ran to catch the two of them before they escaped through the trapdoor. H’aanit pulled herself up and fired an arrow at them, hoping to nail them with a lucky shot. But it flew harmlessly over their heads, right before the door slammed shut and blocked Olberic’s sword from reaching them too.

“Damn it all!” Olberic pulled at the handles of the door. But even with his immense strength, he  couldn’t open it right away. Apparently the man in black lodged his staff into the handles on the other side, which prevented the doors from opening until it eventually broke from force. And by the time that happened, there was no sign of the man or the girl.

Meanwhile, H’aanit went to check on her various monster companions. The Ratkin and Linde were slowly rousing from their unconscious state, which hopefully meant that Cyrus will do the same soon. The shadow sentinel was unharmed. The Manymaws had quite a few burn marks but had gotten over them already. The skeleton was piecing itself back together when the rest of its body walked over to its fallen arms and head. And the two-handed hatchling appeared to be alright, even though its shell was marred with a lot more cracks than before. It was resting inside and didn’t want to come out after the ordeal it just suffered through, so she ultimately decided to let it be.

“What do we do now?” Tressa frowned as she gazed into the entrance to who-knows-where. “Should we follow them?”

“Of course! We cannot let them get away.” Olberic answered. His brimming confidence was somewhat inspiring, but it wasn’t enough to stave off the doubts the others had.

“What about Cyrus? He’s still knocked out.”

“What’s this about me?” The aforementioned scholar asked as he gradually sat up. He winced in pain and held onto the back of his head that hit the floor when he fell over.

“Cyrus!” Both Tressa and H’aanit shouted as they raced to his side.

“Are you hurt?”

“Taken it easy, Cyrus. Thoust cannot pusheth thyself too hard after a magic attack like that.”

“But the statue!” Cyrus protested. “It was not enchanting the congregation as we thought, but it has a much more nefarious purpose in controlling the body of poor Eleanor. And it seems like the man can use it as a source of magical energy for other offensive spells. We must get it out of his hands!”

Olberic shook his head. “You are in no shape to be charging into danger. You should rest while we take care of this.”

“But you need my expertise! How else will you properly dispose of the statue?”

“Ah, perhaps I can be of assistance?”

The three of them turned their attention to the priest standing in the doorway. He rushed over to Cyrus and whipped out a staff of his own.

“I may not be as well versed in healing magic as other clerics, but I wish to help in any way I can. If I may?”

“Please.”

He smile gently before his lips moved in a prayer to the Sacred Flame. A light blue glow emanated from his staff and floated over to Cyrus, enveloping him in soothing warmness. Moments later, the blue aura dissipated and took his various bruises with it.

“Thank you very much.”

“It twas no trouble at all.” Morris bowed his head. “And if you all are venturing down below, I would like to offer some advice.”

“We’re listening.” Olberic replied.

“These stairs will lead to the basement of this church, which leads into a natural underground cavern. There are no other exits from the cave other than here and an opening that has been flooded by the river and recent rainstorms. So that false prophet shouldn’t be able to escape.”

“How much of the cave is flooded?” That fact seemed to concern Olberic more than the eventual encounter with the man in black.

“I am not entirely certain, as I haven’t been down there in ages. But the caves are so vast, I would assume that only the end portion near the river is flooded. You should have nothing to worry about.”

“And what of the second exit? Might it be possible that someone can leave through there by swimming?”

“It’s not likely. The river flows into the caverns, so they would have to swim against the current.”

“But we shoulde not taketh any chances.” H’aanit interrupted with her own thoughts. “We have been caughteth off guard by this man once before, and he escaped because of it. I will watcheth this exit in case he does cometh this way.”

“You can’t go alone! I’ll come with you!” Tressa proclaimed. H’aanit was about to say that she would have her monsters with her so she wouldn’t actually be alone. But she sounded so enthusiastic, she didn’t have the heart to deny her.

“So H’aanit and Tressa will guard the exit by the river while Olberic and I venture into the caves to search for the man and the girl.” Cyrus stated. “I believe there should be no need to guard this exit in the church, as the two of us will be entering through it, but perhaps to be on the safe side, some of your monsters can wait here.”

He glanced towards H’aanit as he spoke his last sentence. After quickly looking over her other partners, she nodded back at him. “I shall leaveth the Ratkin, the hatchling, the skeleton, and the shadow sentinel here then. Art thou certain that thou art well enough to fight?”

“Yes. Brother Morris did a good job healing me. And even if he didn’t, I must go with Olberic anyway. I cannot stand idle while my friends need my help.”

“You flatter me.” Morris grinned. “But please, all of you, take care of yourselves. If you require more healing, I will be here, praying for your safe return. It’s the least I can do, since my old bones won’t allow me to travel with you.”

“You’re staying? You’re not worried that the man will come back here and hurt you?” Tressa asked in an alarmed tone.

“Oh, do not worry. I feel safe with your other friends here.” He gestured to the monsters that were tasked to guard the church. “Besides, if my healing magic is up to snuff, perhaps my light spells are too.”

H’aanit almost remarked about how strange it was that Morris felt comfortable around her non-human companions. But she felt that by calling attention to it, he might change his mind. She resigned to feeling grateful for his tolerance, something that wasn’t commonly found among ordinary people. She could tell that the monsters were thankful as well, or at least as thankful as their body language could express.

After Morris relayed the directions to the second exit, H’aanit, Tressa, Linde, and the Manymaws set out towards in. On the way, they spotted numerous townspeople running about, either still in a panic over what just happened or trying to catch up on duties that were unfulfilled while they were enthralled by the man in black. H’aanit made sure to stay clear of them, since if they spotted the dreadful companion of the Savior again, they might be run out of town. And they didn’t have time for idle chat anyway. If they let their foes slip away into the night to exchange pleasantries, H’aanit would probably drop dead of shame.

Luckily, the route to their destination wasn’t long. Before long, they found themselves next to a churning river that flowed into a cave. The speed of its current was so fast, H’aanit started to wonder if there was a real reason to come here. There was no way a normal person could swim against it. But the false priest and his aberration weren’t exactly normal. He could easily have some magic spell that could let him swim through it, or fly over it, or maybe even freeze it entirely.

So they waited. Evening was already upon them so H’aanit and Tressa lit a fire to illuminate the cavern’s exit. When that was done, they then busied with other necessary tasks. H’aanit focused on taking care of her creatures, especially the Manymaws that was wounded during the fight. She slathered burn ointment on its scorched flesh and stalks, much to its dismay. It flinched and moaned every time she touched it with medicine-covered hands.

“Must thou act like a mewling babe?” She couldn’t help but chide it. After she smeared the ointment on every accessible place, she tossed it some dried fish to placate it. The gift of food did the trick and it was soon quietly sucking on its own tentacles in peace. Some of which still had wet ointment on them, but she couldn’t win all her battles.

At least Linde and the wanderweed were easier to take care of. Linde suffered no injuries from the battle and just demanded some food. The wanderweed has been residing in H’aanit’s bag ever since it was squashed. It was still a bit flimsy, but as long as she kept on watering it and rolling it around, it should grow back to its original size and shape soon enough.

Tressa, meanwhile, was preparing a light dinner for herself and H’aanit. Since they might leave their campsite at a moment’s notice, their meal consisted of slices of dried meat tucked inside some bread, a flask of water, and a bunch of grapes.

“Hey H’aanit?” Tressa piped up once they were finished with their dining.

“Hm?”

“What do you think about what the man said? About how the Flamebringer isn’t a loving god because he allows us to die?”

“... That is a question thou shoulde be asking a priest. Not a hunter.”

“I’m not looking for the right answer. I want to know what you think. Because, you know, you don’t exactly worship the Sacred Flame.”

“Art thou implying that my goddess approveth of the despicable teachings of that man?”

“No! Not at all!” Tressa shook her head wildly. “I just want to know what your goddess thinks of death and all that.”

H’aanit let out a sigh and shifted her body so she would be more comfortable during the lengthy conversation to follow. She mentioned her religiosity to Tressa a long time ago, shortly after they first met, but she didn’t expect her to recall what she said. And she didn’t think about religion much or partake in much worship in the first place. So coming up with an adequate response for her was difficult.

“First off, my village does worshipen Aelfric and his Sacred Flame to some extent. We acknowledgeth his existence and the gifts he hath left us. But we followen the way of Draefendi the Huntress more. Her teachings formed the basis of the hunter’s way that hath been passed down from generation to generation. And being a hunter meaneth that… well, we hunten quarry. So we accepten death as the end to life and wanteth for nothing else.”

“I see.” Tressa sounded like she wasn’t quite satisfied with what she heard.

“Is something amiss? Thou art not having a crisis in faith because of the ramblings of a madman, art thou?”

“Oh! Gods, no! I know what he said was completely insane. But I can’t help thinking about it anyway. Like, if death is part of the way it’s supposed to be, then is it wrong to want the dead to come back? Thankfully I’ve never had anyone close to me die, so I don’t know what it’s like. Or whether the grief is enough to push someone over the edge and cause them to join a cult or something. But you…”

Tressa’s eyes fell upon the two rings strung into a necklace that the other woman wore. H’aanit found herself lightly touching them with her fingers. She had also mentioned their significance to her before, as well as why she couldn’t sell them to her. They were the only keepsakes she had of her parents, who passed away during a hunt when she was an infant. 

“Truth be told, I am in the same situation as thee.” H’aanit admitted. “I do not remembereth my parents, so I am not saddened by their absence.”

“So you wouldn’t bring them back from the dead if you had the chance?”

“No. Such sorcery would disrupt the natural world and bringen dire consequences down the line. I do not missen them that much that I woulde risk that. Besides, without their passing, I never woulde have been trained by Z’aanta, and never woulde have journeyeth out to find him, and never woulde have met all of you.”

“Awww. Well if you put it that way….” Tressa had a faint smile on her lips. H’aanit thought for a moment that she was done with her theoretical talk, but she soon leaned forward again with a different question on her mind.

“Ok. But what if Z’aanta died? Would you bring him back him then?”

“Z’aanta is not dead.” H’aanit scowled.

“I’m not saying he is right now! But later down the line. He’s much older than you, so you’ll most likely be around when he dies, right?”

That was an unpleasant point that H’aanit didn’t want to hear. Her scowl grew deeper as she struggled to voice her opinion in a way that wouldn’t sound too rude. “I… woulde still not. He understandeth the cycle of life and death as much as I do. If I chose to reviven him, he woulde surely scoldeth me for forsakening what he hath taught me. And then he would layeth himself into eternal rest again.”

“Ha! Ok, I guess that was a bad example to use too.”

Tressa glanced over at the river to make sure that nothing suspicious was in it. Like what they were supposed to be doing. But H’aanit had a feeling that she wasn’t completely done with this topic yet.

“What art thou searching for in an answer?”

“Me? Um, I don’t really know.” Tressa shrugged. “I mean, I’m going to meet more people like these villagers as I travel around. People that have lost someone they care a lot about. Since I haven’t gone through something like that myself, I don’t really fully understand what they’re going through. If I can’t understand them, I can’t help them. And if I can’t help them, I’m never going to be a great merchant.”

H’aanit’s frown softened but did not disappear completely. Tressa was different than other merchants in that she actually cared about potential customers. She wasn’t solely about making a quick leaf, especially if it meant others had to suffer. It was an admirable trait, but it sometimes made her think too much about difficult questions like these. Which means the younger girl had to rely on her older friends for help. H’aanit didn’t really mind that so terribly much, except when she felt like she couldn’t help much in the first place.

Eventually, she came to a conclusion that not only reassured Tressa, but herself as well.  “I… I do not think that thou needeth an answer to help people. Whether tis right or wrong to bringeth back the dead, it is perfectly alright to grieveth and misseth a loved one. Sometimes, a shoulder to cryeth on is worth more. I woulde say, leaven this sort of debate to the holy men. Hunters and merchants alike shoulde not worry about a question that mayeth not be solved.”

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Tressa’s voice was back to its usual carefree pep. “I was just thinking about it to pass the time since watching this river is really boring. I learned a lot from it though. Thanks for the insight!”

“Er. Thou art welcome.” It was strange to H’aanit how she could shift the tone so quickly. But she was right, in a way. Having a riveting discussion such as this made time fly by much quicker. It was too bad that there was no indication as to when the other two will be done.

Apparently, Tressa had the same thought. “H’aanit, what do you think Cyrus and Olberic are up to?”

“Trudging through mud and darkness, I reckonen.”

“Heh. That much is obvious. Do you think they would’ve found anything yet though?”

“I hopeth so. Tis a long time to be searching without any results. Mayhap if I had gone with them, I woulde be able to tracken the man down already.”

“Well, who says we can’t do that now?”

“Pardon?” H’aanit stared at her incredulously as Tressa stood up and stretched her limbs.

“We can still guard this entrance while searching for him ourselves. He’s not going to slip by us if we enter this way and keep our wits about. And maybe we’ll be able to trap him in for easy pickings because we pincered him in with the other two. Tactics!”

“How art we going to go in?”

“Easy. We take the Manymaws Express!”

Tressa motioned at the Manymaws with great flourish. It perked up when it noticed her pointing, but settled back down when it saw that she had no food to give it. Now that she planted that idea in H’aanit’s mind, however, she concluded with careful examination that it might be tall enough to wade through the river without completely submerging any passengers on top. And since the river is flowing into the cave, they wouldn’t have to worry about fighting against the current. As long as the stream didn’t get too deep, they might actually be fine.

“What is with thou and thy crazy ideas?” H’aanit muttered to herself.

Tressa apparently heard that and rolled her eyes in response. “I’m going to take that as a compliment. But do you want to do this or not?”

Her mind told her no. It wasn’t the most logical course of action and there were plenty of things that could go wrong. But her gut instinct told her to go ahead. Tressa’s plans haven’t failed yet, even the ludicrous one involving the skeleton and lots of heresy. And she really did want to join in on the search. She was sure that she could get more done in there than here. Sitting outside and waiting for any news or developments was dreadful, and their boredom might spark another strange philosophical conversation between them. 

“... Fine. But I am navigating.”

“Yeah! Let’s go then!”


	5. Child and Guardian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo this one took a while to write and I had to go through many revisions to get it right. In the end, I decided to include slight spoilers to someone's chapter 3, but they're the kind of spoilers you wouldn't recognize unless you've actually played through it. Sorry if this inconveniences anyone! Also a big thank you to my sister who reads over my stuff and was consistently nagged about this chapter in particular!

Coaxing the Manymaws into the river was a feat easier said than done. Even though it towered over the water’s surface, it acted like it was going to drown if it took a step in anyway. H’aanit was perplexed as to why it was so reluctant. It had no problem entering bodies of water earlier today. Although the more she thought of ways to convince it, the more apparent its reason became. The Manymaws only entered the river in the first place because it was searching for food. And since she just fed it, it wasn’t hungry enough to get wet again.

Unless she enticed it with something it can’t resist. H’aanit took the biggest piece of dried fish out of her bag and tied its tail to a string attached to a long stick. She was planning to save that treat for Linde, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Luckily, her sacrifice was not in vain and the Manymaws crawled towards the morsel that dangled in front of it. Its gait was choppy and uneven as it waded through the coursing stream. A few times, it slipped on a hidden rock and its passengers almost fell off. But once they passed through the cavern’s opening, the river quieted down, which made the ride a lot smoother. And it also became pitch black, so Tressa lit a lantern so they could actually see where they were going. Which made the Manymaws recoil in shock and almost buck them off.

Not only was the Manymaws unsafe and hard to direct in the first place, it was also quite unsettling. The tentacles they sat on shifted and squirmed constantly, reminding them that they were seated on a literal bundle of worms. And the tentacles that they didn’t sit on reached upwards towards the sky/ceiling, their mouths opening and closing rapidly as if breathing. If H’aanit didn’t trust the beast, she might think that it was getting ready to eat her.

Despite all the unpleasantries and near accidents, they made it to solid land in one piece. Tressa eagerly climbed down from her perch and held onto a large boulder to steady her feet. H’aanit tossed the Manymaws the large piece of fish, a reward it deserved and quickly caught and consumed.

“I’m giving the Manymaws Express a one-star rating. That was a terrible idea!” She groaned.

“That was thine idea.” H’aanit teased. But she had to agree with the merchant. The Manymaws was not a creature built for carrying people. 

“At least we’re off it now. Where should we start?”

Tressa passed H’aanit the lantern so she could pick up any clue she could find without her assistance. The rushing river beside her and the dripping water from the ceiling made it hard to listen for anyone’s presence. When she scanned the ground, she saw no signs of any human passing through here. There was a path deeper into the caves though, one made by the feet of travelers ages ago.

“Letten us head this way.” She nodded.

The odd group set off along the trail. This cave felt similar to the other caverns they explored in the Riverlands. The river that they had entered through followed alongside them, splashing and gurgling loudly to remind them of its presence. Occasionally it would even flow over its banks and flood the path they were transversing on. They either had to press through or find another way around it, depending on how deep the water was. At least H’aanit’s beastial companions did not complain if they chose to wade through a flooded part. She didn’t know what she would do if she had to constantly force the Manymaws onwards. On the contrary, it seemed to have happily settled into this dark and treacherous environment. It didn’t mind that it could barely see anything not lit by H’aanit’s lantern, or it had to crawl through puddles, or it had to share its space with the cave’s native inhabitants. The last point it demonstrated very recently when the party was attacked by a colony of monstrous bats. Although H’aanit could shoot a few of them down with her bow, Tressa repelled a few more with her wind magic, and Linde caught one or two of them in mid-air, it was really the Manymaws that cleared out the majority of them. Some of its longest and most agile tentacles snatched several bats that flew too close and swallowed them whole. A couple of its other tentacles spat out sizzling spit that showered on the remainder of the swarm. The survivors decided that taking on a giant, ferocious monster that was completely foreign to these caves wasn’t such a good idea after all and took off in an instant.

“Huh. Hey H’aanit, I thought that Mawrice didn’t have acidic spit anymore?” Tressa noted after that fight was over.

H’aanit was admittedly a little surprised by it as well, but didn’t state her confusion outright. Instead, she came up a new answer. “It woulde be unreasonable to assumeth that its acidic spit woulde completely vanish after a mere week of living here. Most likely, it did not exhibiteth such potency in our vicinity, as to not harmeth us.” 

“Really? Mawrice would do that?” Tressa replied with a grin. She wandered over to the Manymaws’s side and patted a low-hanging tendril. “Thanks, Mawrice! You’re really the best Manymaws a girl can ask for.”

“It is the  _ only _ Manymaws thou has met.” She couldn’t help but point out.

Oddly enough, Tressa seemed to feel more peppy after the run-in with the bats. She started asking about H’aanit’s tracking, for instance. Maybe the merchant was getting anxious about not finding the man in black or Olberic and Cyrus, and was trying to work through such concerns with idle talk. H’aanit normally didn’t mind such questions, but when there was a sense of urgency and there wasn’t much for her to find in the first place, she couldn’t help but grow annoyed at her inquiries. Especially when her questions were pretty useless in the first place.

“What about this overturned rock? Does this mean anything?” Tressa gestured towards a small muddy rock with her feet and ended up kicking it over.

“It mighteth have. But now thou hast moved it, I cannot tellen.”

“Whoops. Sorry.”

She didn’t stop there. After taking a moment to regret her action, she was back to peppering H’aanit with questions. “How about this footprint here? I haven’t seen this one before.”

“... Tis my own footprint.”

“Oh.”

H’aanit sighed. This girl was otherwise fine company, but she would be terrible on a hunt with how much she chattered. “Tressa, I appreciateth thy help, but thine efforts wilt be better spent watching the immediate area for threats.”

“Alright! Got it!” Tressa took her comment with surprising grace. She heeded H’aanit’s words and actually remained quiet for a while as she surveyed their surroundings. Although of course the temporary peace didn’t last long.

“Hey! H’aanit! Look over here!”

“Not now, Tressa. I mayhap have foundeth something.”

“But is your clue anything like this?”

Something hard tapped on a rock behind her. H’aanit turned around to admonish Tressa, but found herself staring at a wooden staff with a blue jewel at the end of it. It didn’t look at all like the staff of the man in black, which was currently in splintered pieces at the church above them. Instead, it looked like...

“That is Cyrus’s staff!” She rushed over to Tressa’s side. “Where did thou findeth this?”

“Over here. It was next to all these footprints.”

She pointed to a very muddy path of the road with footprints emblazoned all over it. H’aanit knelt down beside it and with her lantern revealed that these were many different kinds of footprints here. The largest set looked like it would belong to a giant of a man, while the smallest set appeared to belong to a child. The other two sets of footprints were of average size,. All the footprints were arranged in a chaotic pattern that was hard to read, stepping on top of each other and smearing their neighbors out of existence. Two things about them were clear, however. Firstly, the footprints came from the direction of the church entrance. Secondly, they all led to a cliff that dangled over the river.

Footprints weren’t the only things that H’aanit found. There were also traces of ice and soot in the scene. And, to her dismay, she noticed shards of rocks near the cliff where the footprints disappeared. Glancing down at the river only confirmed her suspicions further, although she wished it hadn’t.

“What is it H’aanit? Did you get anything?” Tressa asked after seeing the worrisome look on her face.

“It appeareth that Olberic and Cyrus were chasing the man in black and the girl. They foughten here until something broketh the ledge they were fighting on. Then they all fellen into the river.” She eventually told Tressa.

“Really? How can you tell all that?”

“Can thou seeth where the toes of these footprints are pointing at? That indicateth that they came from the church’s trapdoor. Thou can also telleth that they were running after each other because the toe and heel parts of the footprints aren particularly deep. After they clashen here, there aren too many footprints to accurately tell what happeneth. But the ash and frost here are undoubtedly from Cyrus’s spells. And these giant footprints that jumpen from one place to another belongeth to Olberic. Eventually, the battle moveth to the cliff, which breaketh off and droppeth everyone into the stream. These shards here and the rubble at the bottom telleth me that the cliff broketh due to a great force, not by mere coincidence”

“That’s amazing!” Tressa let out an impressed whistle.

“Admittedly, tis an easy situation to readeth because of the mud. Although now I cannot findeth where they have endeth up. It doth not looken like they swam back to shore…”

H’aanit waved her lantern around as she trekked alongside the river. But no matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find any footprints emerging from the water.

“I don’t think they made their way back. Not immediately, at least.” Tressa’s voice sounded more worried than H’aanit would expect. “Olberic can’t swim, so…”

“Pardon me? Did thou sayest Olberic cannot swim?” H’aanit raised an eyebrow. She had never heard of this weakness of Olberic before.

“Yeah.” Tressa raised an eyebrow back, as if she was surprised that she didn’t know that already. “He mentioned it to me before. Then I said I was going to teach him, but I never got a chance to. What if-”

“Tis not thine fault.” H’aanit interrupted her. She knew what Tressa was going to say and she didn’t want her to blame herself for something she couldn’t control. “But if Olberic cannot swimen, Cyrus will struggleth to bring him back to dry land. Most likely they were swept away by the current for quite a distance. That is, if the false priest and the girl did not getten to them first. So cometh along with me. There is no time to wasten.”

“I’m right behind you!”

The two women, a snow leopard, and a tentacular monstrosity sprinted along the path with trepidation. H’aanit kept an eye out for anything unusual in the water that would indicate the presence of Olberic and Cyrus or even their enemies. She hoped that they were safe now and not fighting to stay alive, but she had to prepare for the worse. Especially if they wind up finding the man or the girl first. The prospect of finding either of them alive over her friends made her hasten even more.

By following the flow of the river, they must have ran off the main path at some point and into unknown territory. Here, the water levels were higher and the ground was more uneven. As much as they wanted to press forward at the same pace as before, they had to move carefully or risk falling into the fast-moving stream themselves. With how much time they spent picking out the rocks they wanted to jump or climb over, they had to hope that they find Olberic and Cyrus here or there might not be much time left to search elsewhere. It didn’t look like there were many places left to scour through anyway. The rooms grew increasingly smaller as the water level rose and less land became available. In the distance, H’aanit could see the agitated white foam of a river rushing into a hole that led deeper underground. If anyone slipped into there, there was no way they could escape from that…

A flash of light caught her attention. Not far from the hole into who-knows-where was a floating fireball that illuminated the tired faces of Olberic and Cyrus. The latter had casted a fire spell to signal their location while the former sat down next to him. And next to him was a somewhat familiar dark-colored silhouette. They were all on a small patch of land that the river threatened to swallow, much to everyone’s dismay.

“Cyrus! Olberic!” Tressa cried out. She almost rushed headlong into the river before H’aanit grabbed her by the arm.

“Art thou safe?” H’aanit shouted afterwards.

“We are safe for the time being!” Cyrus hollered back. “But as you can see, we are in a rather precarious situation. But on the bright side, we have acquired the statue and the man in black may be taken care of.”

“Eh? Is that what that thing is?”

“What dost thou meaneth by ‘mayhap taken careth of’?”

“Well, it’s kind of a long story that cannot be shouted across the river like this-”

“We fought the man and the girl. Cyrus managed to grab the statue but it blew up in his hands. The cliff collapsed under all four of us. Cyrus and I were swept here but the other two are nowhere to be found.” Olberic opted to succinctly explain what happened in Cyrus’s stead.

“It didn’t just ‘blow up’ in my hands!” Cyrus exclaimed indignantly. “I was trying to disarm it but my counterspells must have triggered an enchanted defense mechanism.”

“It’s, uh, not going to blow up now, is it?” Tressa asked in a meek voice.

“Hopefully not. I’ve given that prospect a rest while we are in the midst of danger. As long as I don’t provoke it further, the statue should remain a statue.”

“I told him we just smash it and not worry about it any longer.” Olberic scoffed. “That item has given us a lot of grief and it will only cause us more in the future.”

“And I said that it is an invaluable clue to many of my conundrums! The sponsor of the blood crystals. The location of  _ From the Far Reaches of Hell _ . I cannot give it up so easily!”

“That’s what you said last time and look at where that got us.”

“How about we stop worrying about the statue for now and focus on getting you guys across safely?” Tressa interrupted their argument.

Cyrus looked a bit relieved to be free of an argument they had repeated a thousand times already. “Right. What do you suggest?”

To H’aanit, the solution was somewhat obvious. But she had a feeling that Olberic wasn’t going to like it. She tried coming up with a different idea that he wouldn’t object to while Tressa verbalized her thoughts out loud.

“Have you tried freezing the river?”

“No, but that’s because it would take a lot of magical energy to freeze something moving so fast. The ice would only last a few seconds before breaking.”

“Even if you tried making a bridge? Or blocking the flow?”

“Those wouldn’t work either!”

“How about I toss something over to you then? Like a rope?”

“Do you really have a rope long enough to reach us in that backpack of yours?”

“Er, actually not. Sorry.”

“Ahem.” H’aanit coughed politely to interrupt them. Since the two of them were getting nowhere, it was time to offer up her suggestion.

“Perhaps the Manymaws can assisten them. The river is too dangerous for it to waden across, but its longest tentacles can mayhap stretcheth across and grabbeth them.”

Tressa gasped before smiling and clapping her hands enthusiastically. “Yanno, I was thinking of that, but I wouldn’t wish the roughness of the Manymaws Express onto anyone. Still, it’s a life or death situation now, so we gotta try it out!” 

“Out of the question!” The deep voice of Olberic bellowed. He crossed his arms and glared at the monster from across the river.

“Be reasonable, Olberic.” Cyrus spoke as if he was scolding a student. “This may very well be our best chance of rescue.”

“Do you honestly trust this beast? After it spat a crayfish at my face this morning and almost dropped you this afternoon?”

“It almost dropped me because I was moving around far too much for it to have a good grasp on me. And it spat a crayfish at you because you were being rude to H’aanit.”

“I wasn’t-”

“Why are you so afraid of it anyway?” Tressa interjected. “Are you scared of touching it? You were the one holding the skeleton’s arms when we did our skit upstairs.”

“It’s not that! I can just tell that this is a bad idea!”

“Worry not, Olberic.” H’aanit interjected before the argument got more heated. “I promisen thee that the Manymaws will taken great care of thee. I will watchen it like a hawk and maken sure that it does not fooleth around.”

“... I suppose I have no choice in the matter then.” Olberic’s stare did not soften in the slightest. 

She doubted that she was going to get an answer more affirmative than that. H’aanit learned from before how difficult it was to convince the Manymaws to do anything near quickly moving water, so she knew what she must do already. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any more enticing pieces of dried fish on her, so she had to make do with sweet words that she hoped it understood.

“Thou remembereth the scholar that liken to poketh and proddeth thee, yes?” She whispered to it as she stroked one of its limbs.

It burbled in response. That was a good sound. “That man and his friend are trapped across the river and needeth thy help. If thou help rescue them, he will surely giveth thou all the food thou desireth. So please aideth us once more.”

A pause. Then a primitive growl escaped from the throat of one of its tentacles. 

“Yes, the scholar’s friend is the mean man with the sword. But despite his harshness, he is a dear companion and one I would sorely missen if thou droppeth him in the water. Thou needen to saveth both to earneth the bounty I promised. Understandeth me?”

It hesitated again. H’aanit couldn’t tell if she lost it or it was considering her proposition until it let out a short screech. The Manymaws dragged itself to the edge of the river and dug some of its tentacles deep into the mud. Those tentacles acted as an anchor as it slowly stretched a couple of its long limbs across the river. They wobbled in the mist the raging water kicked up and retracted a few times when splashed. But eventually they reached their limit, a couple of feet away from the edge of their island. 

“It looketh like thou will have to jumpeth and the Manymaws will catcheth thee.” H’aanit yelled.

“Can’t it stretch a little further?” Cyrus shouted back. He sounded apprehensive about accomplishing this feat, as he should be. He was probably the least acrobatic member of the party, besides the unconscious man of course.

“If it stretcheth more, it will risketh a fall into the river.”

“Ah. I suppose we wouldn’t want that.” Cyrus sighed. He glanced toward his fellow prisoner on the sorry patch of land. “Did you want to go first?”

“Go ahead. You have a better chance of surviving if the Manymaws happens to miss you.”

“Of course. Because you can’t swim. Alright then.” He exhaled sharply again. Cyrus swung his arms to stretch his body, picked up the nearby statue, amd closed his eyes. H’aanit was about to tell him that it would be better to jump with his eyes open, but he opened them right before he made a running start of a couple of steps and leaped. 

His body flew onto one tentacle. As he scrambled to secure his hold while keeping the statue within his grasp, another tentacle wrapped around his legs and cautiously lifted him across the gushing waters. Just as soon as he settled into a comfortable position, he was already hovering over the other side. The tentacles rotated him until he was standing upright next to H’aanit and Tressa.

“You made it!” Tressa proclaimed. “Oh, and here’s your staff back.”

“Thank you Tressa.” Cyrus graciously accepted his staff from her just as the Manymaws started combing through Cyrus’s clothes for treats.

“Erm, H’aanit? What is it doing? Do I smell appetizing to it?”

“Nothing liken that. I promiseth the Manymaws food from thee in exchange for its assistance.” She said nonchalantly before turning to the hungry monster. “Not now. Waiteth until thou rescueth the second man. Thou wilst receive thy reward then.”

“You promised it what now?”

His question was ignored as H’aanit and the Manymaws readied themselves for the next rescue attempt. Its many teeth-tipped tentacles extended across the river as much as they could, which was one or two feet from the shore like last time. 

Olberic took a few steps back, then many steps forward in a sprint. The distance that he leaped surprised his onlookers and he almost missed the Manymaws’s outstretched limbs. It had to catch him by grabbing onto his shirt with its teeth. Olberic dangled from its mouth a few inches from the river’s surface. Icy cold water splashed onto his face as he breathed heavily and took in the fact that he was this close to being washed away.

“Whoa!” Tressa gasped in shock. “Are you alright Olberic?! That was a close one!”

“I. Am fine.” He grunted as he tried to swing himself onto the closest solid surface available. But there was no way he could climb onto the tentacle unless he wanted to rip his shirt and fall into the water. The Manymaws would instead have to slowly retract its tendril until he was on their side of the river.

Except it had a different idea at first. H’aanit recognized the way the Manymaws tensed up, and was well aware of what was going to happen. And if it did that, it would end up getting skewered in the guts by Olberic’s sword.

“No! Do not even thinketh of tossing him into the air! Bringen him back gently, like what thou didst for the scholar.”

The Manymaws emitted a disgruntled sound, as if it was upset that she ruined its fun. H’aanit ignored its complaint and watch it carefully as it pulled Olberic across. Between that, Tressa’s and Cyrus’s nattering, and the river’s wild splashing, she almost didn’t hear a rumbling growl from Linde. By the time her warning registered in her brain, she had only a brief moment to comprehend what that meant and what she needed to do.

“Cyrus! Get riddeth of that statue! NOW!”

The scholar gave H’aanit a bewildered look but his arms reacted to her sudden command. The statue was tossed in the air away from him, and emitted a powerful shockwave mere seconds after it left Cyrus’s hands. It was far away enough that no one was rendered unconscious this time, but the pulse still swept Cyrus, Tressa, and Linde off of their feet. H’aanit was knocked into the Manymaws, who lurched forward and hurled Olberic towards the solid ground behind it. He let out a deafening yell as he slammed into the ground, rolled a couple of times, and stopped a few feet from the statue.

He instinctively reached out but a boot suddenly stepped into view and squished his hand into the ground. Olberic let out an anguished grunt as the boot’s owner snatched the statue right in front of him. A sinister smile adorned the man in black’s face as he gingerly examined his reclaimed possession. Beside him was a smaller silhouette that held an old and rusty sword in her hands.

“Thank you for locating my statue.” The man in black drawled. “I would offer more in gratitude, but I’m afraid my flock needs attending to after you rudely disrupted it. So if you’ll excuse me, I will be taking my-”

His sentence was interrupted by an arrow to the shoulder. H’aanit was actually aiming for his neck, but the girl noticed her sudden movements and pushed the man out of the way in time. Still, the wound pained him enough to release Olberic, who scuttled backwards. While the man screamed in surprise and fury, the air around him abruptly chilled until his breath became visible in foggy bursts. That was the only forewarning for the giant ice crystals that erupted from the ground and encased both him and the girl in a frozen prison.

“Olberic, are you alright?” Cyrus said in between chants. He wielded a tome for ice spells in one hand and his staff in another. The blue gemstone atop of his staff glowed brilliantly as it channeled arcane energy towards the ice shards that kept his foes contained.

“I’m no worse for the wear.” He stood up and pulled his trusty sword out of its sheath “But the time for holding back is over. We must end this fight, once and for all.”

“Of course. I understand.” Cyrus nodded, although that didn’t mean he felt enthusiastic about the prospect.

“It’s easier done than said when Cyrus froze them in their tracks!” Tressa remarked. “Let’s gettem!”

“I’m right behind thee.” H’aanit readied her bow to fire again. The four humans, one snow leopard, and one Manymaws rushed at the frozen block of ice that soon self-destructed into a haze of shards and splinters. The statue in the man’s hands not only shattered their cage, but also controlled its remains with an invisible force. The icy shards pointed at the charging mini-army and flew at them with astounding speed. Cyrus incinerated most of them with a blast of fire while the others dodged them or hacked them away with their weapons.

“Grr! You are fools, all of you! And you will all pay for your insolence!” The man in black screamed. He was definitely not in the mood to run away now. When he pulled out the arrow in his shoulder with a fierce tug, that seemed to cement his decision. “Oh Savior, I beseech you! Grant your servants the power to smite your foes!”

At first, it appeared as if nothing happened. The blood crystals in the statue’s eyes gleamed a sickly scarlet as a shadowy aura enveloped it. No one stopped to ponder about what he actually did and instead resolved to continue their assault.

“Focus your efforts on the man in black! If he loses the statue, he’ll lose his power!” Cyrus called out to the others. He summoned a bolt of lightning to try and nail him, but it seemed to be deflected by the invisible force from the statue. Tressa followed suit with a wind spell, but that also blew around the man in black harmlessly. H’aanit’s arrows seemed to be more effective against whatever strange protection the statue had, as her first arrow flew true but narrowly missed his head. Her second arrow was blocked by the girl’s sword, and she didn’t get a chance to shoot a third before a shadowy fireball conjured by the man exploded right in front of her.

Olberic managed to evade a fireball that was flung at him and charged at the man with his sword in hand. The girl suddenly stepped in between him and her master and parried his blade away. Olberic tried to ignore her the best he could and keep his attention on the man in black, like what Cyrus said. But she continued to intervene, no matter how hard he tried. After she interrupted his attacks several more times, it became apparent that he couldn’t ignore her any longer and gave into her unspoken desire. The two of them locked themselves into a fierce duel, one that was more serious than last time.

As the pair of swordfighters clashed against each other, H’aanit became acutely aware of what was different about the girl. Her eyes shone the same red color as the statue’s and her movements appeared to be enspirited and full of vigor. Which meant that she could stand toe-to-toe against Olberic in a swordfight and keep him away from the man in black. Even her sword appeared to be rejuvenated in the same, strange manner. Although it was still rusty from years of abandonment, it danced with surprising nimbleness and held strong against Olberic’s formidable blows. 

“Olberic! Distance yourself from the girl so I may help!” Cyrus shouted towards him.

“Nnngh!” Olberic couldn’t form full words at the moment. He only barely had enough time to raise his sword and block a forceful strike from the girl. When he pushed her away, she swung her blade to his left with nary a time to blink. He only avoided getting slashed by instinctively stepping away, then lifting his weapon to parry a blow aimed at his other side. 

“Do not worry yourself about me!” He managed to shout out eventually. “I can take care of her by myself! Concern yourself about the man in black!”

As if to accentuate Olberic’s words, a missile of dark energy nearly nailed Cyrus while he was distracted. Similar magic spells were hounding his other allies, and not all of them could dodge them as gracefully as he did. Tressa was blown back after one collided with her dead center, although she was still able to get back onto her feet. Another missile was spiraling towards H’aanit, but Cyrus quickly chanted some lines from his tome to create a fireball of his own to counter it. Upon impact, they exploded in a burst of purple and orange flames, as H’aanit rolled to the side to evade the spell that was once aimed at her.

She paused and blinked for a moment as she wondered where the missile went. When she figured out what happened, she sighed and straightened her bow. “I coulde have dodgeth that.” 

“Does anyone around here need my help?!” Cyrus yelled in an exasperated tone. 

“Hey! What about me?” Tressa cried out just before she hopped to the side to dodge another shadowy missile by the skin of her teeth. She switched from her wind spells to her lance to harry the man in black, but being closer to him meant that she had less time to react to his oncoming attacks. As yet another purple fireball hurled towards her, Cyrus conjured giant shards of ice that jutted out of the ground and blocked the spell. As an added bonus, Tressa used the ice to mask her movements and was able to stab the man’s leg during a surprise attack.

The man yowled in pain and held out his statue to shoot a jet of flames from it. She quickly withdrew to prevent her or her lance from being burnt to cinders. While the man was focused on the threat right in front of him, a white blur suddenly pounced from behind and dug her claws into his back. Linde managed to hang on and ravage him with his fangs before a small shockwave emitted from the statue blew her and Tressa back. He could barely stand with all the injuries he sustained, much less dodge a great sweep of the Manymaws’s tentacle. He slammed his back into a large rock, hollering like a wounded dog. H’aanit offered no respite and instead launched a flurry of arrows. They met their mark successfully, piercing nearly every part of his body save for his head. He avoided getting skewered there by lifting his statue up at the last minute. One arrow struck his hand and another struck the left eye of the statue. The blood crystal embedded there shattered and its crimson shards rained down onto the ground. 

“No… No no no!” The man hollered in pain, then coughed up blood. “This is not how the Savior’s word will end!”

Somehow he still clung to the statue even after going through that. H’aanit readied an arrow to end him, but couldn’t have anticipated what happened next. The remaining crystal on the statue shone brighter and brighter, as if to compensate for its missing partner, until it blinded everyone staring at it. Even though the brilliant flash lasted for only a moment, they were all left dazed for a lot longer than its duration. Only the Manymaws, having no eyes, was able the move after that attack. It reacted by stretching out its tentacles out to grab him and maybe eat him but was stopped by a jab in its backside.

The girl, figuring that the great creature was the man’s biggest threat, acted preemptively and thrusted her sword into its base. It emitted a blood-curdling screech and waved its limbs wildly, some trying to reach where it was hurt. The girl pulled out her sword to dodge its frantic attacks just in time. She was closing in to strike again, but Olberic swooped in at the last second and shoved her away. Although he didn’t look directly at the statue when it blinded everyone, the light did dazzle him enough to muddle his mind even now. So when the girl changed her focus and charged at him instead, his movements were too sluggish to dodge the attack completely. He instead opted to block it by holding up his sword. Sparks flews as the two steel blades connected. The girl pushed down with all her might, forcing Olberic to focus on driving her back and distracting him from several swift kicks to the legs. He thankfully wasn’t swept off his feet completely but he did stumble and let his guard down enough so the girl had a clean shot at delivering a fatal blow.

Just as she was about to plunge her sword into his neck, a tentacle came in between the two of them and took the hit for Olberic. The Manymaws screamed and thrashed about, lifting the girl into the air and tossing her about, but she stubbornly clung onto her sword that was deeply wedged inside. Her superhuman strength could not let her hold onto it forever though. After a few seconds of being thrown around like a ragdoll, she shoved her sword through the rest of the tentacle and sliced it off. Green fluid sprayed out its stump as the Manymaws screamed louder and its movements became even more crazed. The girl managed to dodge its frenzy and land right next to the man in black, who was laughing throughout the whole ordeal. Apparently the strange light not only blinded his opponents, but also healed him enough so that he could stand. They did not attempt to flee but remained where they were to watch their hated foes fall to a monster that was once their ally.

The others were forced to scatter to avoid getting caught in its rampage. With how incensed the Manymaws has become, H’aanit wondered for a hysterical moment if it could calm down at all. Its tentacles slammed against the ground, rammed into the wall, and even broke off some stalactites from the ceiling. The girl and the man were still too close to the Manymaws to attack them without risking injury. If she were someone like Olberic, who cared not for the monster, she would cull it right then and there to ensure the man’s capture. But she had been through too much to give it up over what was really a temper tantrum. So against better judgement, she dashed in, ducking and weaving around tentacles that would have swept her off her feet. Once she miraculously reached its base, H’aanit grabbed onto its leaves and vines and spoke.

“Stillen thyself! Thy enemies are the girl and the man in black, not us! Directen thy anger at them and helpen us win this battle!”

The Manymaws rampaged on. She gripped onto its foliage even tighter. Her words might have slowed its movements, but it was still incredibly dangerous to be near it. The others shouted at her to no avail. She couldn’t hear them amidst this ruckus. Instead, she continued to offer up her own words of comfort.

“I knowen that thou hurten. I promiseth that I will healeth thy wounds and giveth you all the food thou wanten. But now, thou art only hurten myself and I in thy fit. Please, listeneth to my voice and calmeth down!”

A whine of some sort punctuated its screeching but it otherwise continued lashing out at random. One tentacle almost swiped at her head, causing her to recoil in surprise. She stepped away from it far enough so that another tentacle smacked into her side and knocked her aside. With a loud grunt, H’aanit smacked her right shoulder on the unforgiving ground. She supposed that her shoulder should be hurting, but her mind was abuzz with too much adrenaline to realize that right now. The man in black, who was freed from his bonds by his minion, cackled at her futile efforts.

“What kind of creature would threaten its so-called friends like this? And you all thought of me as a demon! I say no! This abomination is the hellish one! It cannot interpret speech, it does not listen to reason, and it will kill you all without a second thought!”

“No! Thou art wrong!” She shouted back as she pulled out her bow and an arrow. “The Manymaws is a child of nature who acteth on instincts. And its instincts tellen it to retaliate on the one who inflicted such a dire wound on it. It hath only losten its way due to its pain, but as this child’s caretaker, I will showen it the way no matter the cost!”

H’aanit loosed her arrow without a moment’s notice. The girl shoved the man away away at last second, taking the hit in his stead. The arrow punctured her neck, which would have been a fatal blow on a normal human, but the girl just faltered for a bit before brandishing her sword. 

But H’aanit didn’t care if the girl took the attack or not. The glint of metal seemed to have triggered something in the Manymaws somehow. It ceased in its roaring and flailing to turn its entire body towards them. Several of its tentacles straightened up, bared its teeth, and hissed in an intimidating display similar to the girl’s.

“What? What kind of sorcery is this?!” The flabbergasted man grew pale now that he was the target of the Manymaw’s full fury.

“Tis not sorcery at all. The Manymaws is not a mindless beast as thou claimeth and can telleth friend apart from foe. But worryeth not. As a child of nature, it will teareth thou apart like it teareth apart any prey that it catcheth. Thy death will not be liken the perverse affront against the gods that standeth before me.”

“This girl is the perverse affront?! Have you seen the monster that you’re siding with?!”

Another arrow flew towards the man’s head, but it was not one loosed by H’aanit. He dodged it with a quick step to the side, much to Tressa’s dismay. She readied another arrow as she also hurled her own thoughts at him.

“Mawrice has been nothing but a friend to all of us! You, however, used the body of an innocent girl to brainwash an entire village! How can you not think of that as evil?!”

“I must agree with my companions here.” Cyrus joined in. “Your statue’s source of power comes from crystals forged from human blood. Even if you did not partake in the rituals that created them, you must have known their origins to fully utilize their potential. There is no conceivable way that you are as innocent as you proclaim. Although, if it were up to me, I would like to at least capture you alive for further questioning…”

“Thou still wisheth for that?” H’aanit gave him a sidelong glare. “The time for interrogation has past. He has gravely wounded one of mine friends and does not intend to stoppeth there. He deserveth naught but a grave in these caverns.”

“We actually agree on something then.” Olberic was the last to join the fray. “Let’s bring him down and give that girl a proper rest!”

“You imbeciles! You have all witnessed the great power of the Savior yourselves, yet you still resist him!” The man in black was livid at their defiant words. “The Savior’s will cannot be stopped! I will see to it!”

He held his statue up again, showing off the blood crystal that shone with a unsettling red light. H’aanit had no idea what kind of spell he was weaving, but she didn’t intend to let him finish it. She fired several arrows in his direction while Cyrus and Tressa hurled lightning bolts and gale storms respectively and Olberic charged in with his sword. Luckily, the statue’s magic didn’t appear to be the destructive kind at first, since the fighters weren’t blown back by an invisible force or anything. But its nature quickly revealed itself when the girl stepped in front of the man and took all of the attacks head on, even Olberic’s sword strike. To his surprise, his blade bounced off of her suddenly rock-hard skin, along with the arrows and the magic spells. He withdrew as the girl’s slowly warped into some sort of monstrosity with ashen grey skin, pitch black hair, bulging muscles that couldn’t be contained by her skin, and glowing red eyes that no longer had a shred of humanity within them. She stood taller than any human, reaching half of the Manymaw’s height, and was certainly too big to wield her sword now. Judging from her erratic and jerky movements when she tossed her toothpick-sized weapon away, it almost felt like her new body couldn’t deal with the raw power she was imbued with. Which should work to their advantage, but her sheer size and grotesque appearance shocked them too much to think rationally about this.

“What have you done to her?!” Tressa exclaimed in some parts grief and other parts disbelief.

“The Savior has given her a much more befitting form that even frightens the gods!” The man in black cackled. “If this is what it means to defy nature, then so be it! Demon or not, she will bring you all the very idea you’re enamored with: death!”

The girl suddenly started barreling towards them, as if spurred on by his words. Cyrus did his best to slow her down by freezing the ground beneath her, but she just trampled over the ice crystals. Seeing that even his powerful magic had no effect, Tressa readied herself with her spear and stood alongside Olberic. They didn’t have much hope about their weapon’s impact on the charging monster, but they had to put up a fight no matter what.

H’aanit knew of the only way that they could halt her advance. She called out to the Manymaws and it shambled over in an instant. Its teethed tentacles met the girl’s outstretched arms and wrapped around them so she couldn’t move them. Other tendrils sought to immobilize her legs as well, but the girl bit down on the ones gripping her left shoulder. The Manymaws roared in pain as green sticky liquid dribbled out of its wound. H’aanit feared that it would go berserk again, but its anger never strayed from its true aggressor. Another tentacle chomped down on her side, drawing forth not blood from her body but acidic fluid from its own mouth. The more its teeth dug into her flesh, the more rancid the acid became. The girl grimaced in silent pain as she tried to kick the tentacle away. Her blow had enough force behind it to pull the tentacle off her body, although it left behind a nasty, festering wound that still had small teeth burrowed in it.

The man in black sought to help out his servant by flinging fireballs and other magical attacks at the Manymaws. Some of them were deflected by Cyrus and Tressa, but the rest hit their target. The Manymaws screamed as his spells burned leaves off of its vines or scorched its fleshy parts. It was obviously split between going after the man or staying with the girl, judging from the back and forth movements of its tentacles, but ultimately decided to continue fighting with the girl once it saw that Olberic charged at the man again. Since the girl was not here to block him, he was free to swing his sword to his heart’s content. Olberic’s blade danced around the man several times, tearing up his robes and leaving small scratches when he barely missed him. Eventually, he managed to slash at his chest before being driven off by a fireball.

The man created enough distance between himself and Olberic so he could hold up his statue in preparation for another spell. At the same time, the Manymaws emitted a low-pitched grumble that told H’aanit of a way to stop both the man and the girl in one fell swoop. But she would need Tressa’s help and Olberic’s compliance.

“Olberic! Getten away from the man!” She called out. “And Tressa! Conjureth a great wind that will shield us!”

“You got it!” Tressa nodded. With a flick of her wrists, a furious gale stirred itself around the group. 

Olberic, unfortunately, was hesitant of her orders at first. “What are you planning? I almost have him!”

“Getten back here immediately! Unless thou wanteh to perish!”

Convinced by H’aanit’s stern tone, he peeled away from his fight with the man and joined the others behind the wind barrier. He made it just in time. The Manymaws aimed two particularly large tentacles, one at the girl and one at the man, and belched out an utterly noxious gas cloud. The man inhaled some of the air while reciting his spell and soon afterwards keeled over in a coughing fit. The girl didn’t really need to breath, but the poisonous cloud was also slightly acidic and it burned her flesh the longer it enveloped her. Eventually, her weakened legs buckled under her weight and she collapsed to the ground.

Tressa, Cyrus, Olberic, H’aanit, and Linde were safe from the vile attack thanks to Tressa’s wind spell. But she couldn’t hold it forever, and eventually had to dispel it with great flourish. The wind, while dissipating, blew away the remains of the poisonous gas. Which was lucky for the man in black. Otherwise he would have suffocated and died as the gas ate away at his body.

At first, the others were too afraid of drawing closer in fear of any remnant gas. But once H’aanit convinced them it was fine, they immediately ran towards the man in black. Or more specifically, his statue.

“That’s one way of defeating him.” Cyrus didn’t sound so impressed, since the terrible odor still lingered. “At least I can confiscate this from you at last.”

He pulled the statue out of the man’s arms. The man gargled something rendered intelligible from the poison.

“Hey! How come Mawrice didn’t pull off that move in the beginning? It would have saved us a lot of trouble!” Tressa disregarded the smell so she could lodge a complaint.

“The Manymaws requireth a hefty meal of meat to create enough gas for such an attack. It gotteth the fuel it needeth from the girl’s monsterous form.”

“It ate part of her? That’s gross! Oh, I think I’m going to be sick…”

“I agreeth. Consuming the flesh of a creature born of dark magic cannot be good for its health. I will have to keepeth an eye on it later.”

“Speaking of the girl, she isn’t done yet!” Olberic shouted as he pointed his sword at her. The horrific fiend was slowly straightening up, ready for another round of combat. The Manymaws was still in good enough shape to fight and it was definitely raring to go, as indicated by its growling. But H’aanit had a feeling that the girl wouldn’t go down and stay down without complete evisceration. Or something else.

“Cyrus, we must disposeth of the statue now. Tis the only way to defeateth the girl.”

“But I just got it! And I have not yet figured out how to disable its power. We cannot risk another explosion at a time like this!”

“NOW!” The girl was already lunging at them with terrifying speed. H’aanit would rather deal with whatever the statue would wrought than be torn limb from limb. 

But Cyrus had a different option in mind. His eyes flitted from the girl to the statue, then to where the Manymaws sat. Cyrus made the split-second decision to throw the statue into the air. It gracefully arched to the right, towards the gaping mouth of the Manymaws. As soon as its tentacle swallowed it whole, the girl stumbled and fell over as it came to an abrupt halt. It didn’t look like it was going to get back up again, although that wasn’t what H’aanit cared about at the moment.

“NO! Not liketh that, thou daft dimwit!” H’aanit’s rushed over to its side. The statue was already deep inside its throat, however, and it made gagging noises as it tried to keep it down. 

“Spitten it out! Spitten it out right now!” She slapped the tentacle that held the offending object several times in an attempt to force it out. It remained stuck. Shakes, massages, and sharp words didn’t help either. Eventually, the lump in its tentacle disappeared as the statue settled into its guts. There was no way that it was going to see the light of day again. Especially when the Manymaws let out an obnoxious burp that signified that it was satisfied with its snack.

“That was not food! Far from it! Why thou insisten on eating it?” H’aanit asked in a resigned voice. 

“Because it was the only way to destroy the statue on such short notice?” Cyrus couldn’t help but speak up, even if it meant earning H’aanit’s ire. His fears were realized when she shot him a glare filled with venom and spoke in a disdainful tone.

“If that was what thy grand plan was, thou art not permitted near the Manymaws ever again.”

“Really now? Mawrice agreed to it too!”

“The Manymaws is a fool when it comes to food. Thou knoweth better than to encourage it!”

As they argued about who’s fault was it, the enormous, mutated body of the girl shuddered one last time. The sudden movement made everyone raise their weapons. But she merely lifted her head so that her eyes, once the color of blood crystals, were visible as they slowly changed back to their normal brown hue. For a moment, she wore an expression that actually looked like it could belong to a young girl. Her mouth silently formed two words that no child should ever say while they were dying. Then her eyes darkened into a lifeless black color as her body disintegrated into dust.

“Nnnnn.” The man in black’s throat had slightly recovered from the poison gas so he could at least speak actual words now. “This can’t… This can’t be happening.”

“You still haven’t given up?” Tressa kicked him lightly. “Just give it a rest! Your statue is gone, Eleanor is gone, and we have you surrounded.”

“I sayeth we putten him out of his misery.” H’aanit scoffed. “Who shall the honor go to?”

“Hold on. Can’t I have one moment to question him before leaving him at your mercy?” Cyrus crossed his arms and glared at the others. It wasn’t a mean natured glare like he hated everyone. But a glare that indicated that he had suffered quite a bit at the man’s hands and would like to get at least something from it. Especially since the object of his curiosity, the blood crystal statue, was currently being digested by the Manymaws.

“... I guess. Sure.” Tressa shrugged. Her unenthusiastic response really came from the fact that she wanted the man to pay for his crimes, but she also didn’t like to watch people die. And although Olberic made his stance on the matter clear before, he made an affirmative noise that was just as non-committal as Tressa’s answer. 

Which meant that H’aanit, being outnumbered, had to agree as well. “Alright. Thou mayeth try to interrogate him. But I doubteth that thou wilt glean anything from him.”

“I think you’ll be surprised at how much information I can gather from a reluctant target.” Cyrus had a faint smirk on his face as he roughly propped up the man. He shook him so that he had the man’s full attention as he spoke.

“Answer me this, so we can at least afford you a quick and painless end. Who gave you the statue? What was its true purpose?”

“The… the statue?” The man surprisingly broke into a toothy grin. “It was a gift from the Savior! It was to spread the word of his power and goodwill! Glory to the Savior!”

He wheezed loudly after he busted his throat for shouting praises. Cyrus narrowed his eyes as he continued to speak.

“So who is the Savior? Where is he? Is he a man, or a god?”

“Do you honestly think a mere mortal holds power such as this? The power over life and death belongs to the gods and the gods alone. You know not what you trifle with!”

The man hacked his lungs out again. Cyrus shook him once more, fearing that his wounds would end the conversation prematurely. “On the contrary, I do know what I’m dealing with. I have seen the ritual that makes these blood crystals and the madman that would execute them. And they are not the work of any god I know. The person behind these foul acts, this Savior, must walk among us men, and I must find out where he is! So spit it out already!”

His passionate speech only made the man laugh. “A loyal servant such as I will never divulge his secrets! I can already see that he is calling for me. Oh Savior, your humble child is coming to meet you!”

His last words became violent gargling that spilled forth foam from his mouth. Cyrus realized too late what was going on and squeezed the man’s cheeks in an attempt to force out the hidden poison capsule in his mouth. When that didn’t work he shook him regardless, as if he could choke out one last answer from him. But the man’s eyes rolled towards the back of his head and his body fell limp. A few seconds later, Cyrus sighed and stood up to face the others.

“Sorry that neither of you could do the honor yourselves.” He apologized to Olberic and H’aanit.

“But thou acquireth some answers from him, no?”

“Yes, but they are not clear answers. The poison gas was affecting his state of mind so it’s hard to discern whether he was being truthful or his replies were simply ramblings of a dying madman.”

“You mean there’s a difference?” Tressa said jokingly.

“There is a fine difference. One I will have to ponder about later, when all this is over. For now, we should let Morris know what transpired.”

“Of course.” Olberic nodded.  With that, the group of travelers started making their way back to the church entrance of the cave. A sense of victory finally filled their hearts, even when taking into consideration the man in black’s ominous rantings. They were all eager to bask in some recognition and get some much needed rest.

All except H’aanit and the Manymaws. Not long before they reached the trapdoor, the Manymaws let out a peculiar high pitched whine that stopped the hunter in her tracks. H’aanit gave it an insistent tug, but that only made it whine louder and pull her away from the others.

“Cometh now. Dost thou honestly meaneth that?”

“What’s wrong with Mawrice?” Tressa frowned.

“Ah. Uh.” Her mind seemed to be in a different place at first. It took her a moment to figure out what she wanted to say to Tressa. 

“...It mayhap have some indigestion from its recent meal.” H’aanit shot daggers towards Cyrus with her eyes. “Since I knoweth not of the side effects that may cometh with such a dangerous artifact, I thinken it woulde be safest if the Manymaws stayeth away from human company for the night. And I woulde liken to stayeth with it.”

“Huh?!”

“Are you certain that that is what you want? The village will most likely not bat an eye at your monsters, with what you have done for them!”

H’aanit’s face remained dead serious as she nodded towards Tressa and Cyrus. “I am certain. Besides, it cannot fitteth through this entrance anyway. I will reuniten with all of thee in the morning.”

“If that is what you desire…” Cyrus turned his gaze towards the Manymaws as if he could figure out what troubled it.

“But know that you’re always welcome to come back early if you want to!”

“And stay safe. Just because the man and the girl are gone, doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous in these caverns.” Olberic’s voice seemed as stoic as usual at first, but H’aanit understood what he was really getting at.

“Linde and the Manymaws will provideth ample company and protection. But thanketh thee.”

Olberic grunted in response as he beckoned the others to leave her and head towards the exit. That was the sound of a man that believed in her reply because he had seen the Manymaws’s loyalty firsthand. It wasn’t something that he would like to admit out loud of course, but H’aanit could sense his budding respect anyways and was glad for it.

If only deciphering the Manymaws’s feelings were as simple as that. It didn’t resist leaving just because it had a bad stomach ache. There was another thing it said that gave H’aanit reason to worry. And that thing wasn’t a simple matter that could be solved in an instant. It was going to take all night to sort things out, and she hoped that by the end of it, the others will take it just as gracefully.


	6. Greetings and Farewells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait for the last chapter! Basically the holidays got in the way and I ended up writing a lot more than I intended. I hope this conclusion is worth the wait!

The morning of the next day started out with plenty of sunshine and clear blue skies. It was as if the death of the man in black also dispelled the despair that hung over Lichenbloom in the form of thick, grey clouds. The morning’s sunlight guided and invigorated the townspeople as they worked on their many duties that were neglected while they were under the false priest’s trance. It also awakened three of the travelers that were resting in the village inn. Even though they had no real job to do right now and could sleep in if they wanted to, they all hurried to the church on top of the hill. They were all eager to find out what was bugging H’aanit and the Manymaws last night and the longer they waited, the more their anxiety grew.

But to their dismay, she wasn’t here when they arrived. The monsters that she left behind at the church yesterday were gone as well. The only ones present were Morris the priest and two young men that helped him clean up the place. Although the travelers tried their best to avoid causing a lot of destruction with their plan, collateral damage was inevitable. Many pews were broken, with some reduced to splinters completely, sections of the stone walls and floors were cracked, and a shattered window allowed a brisk breeze to blow through the building. The villagers were already working on covering it with wooden boards but according to Morris, it may be a while until they can get a new window to replace it.

“In this neck of the woods, it isn’t easy to find a capable glassworker that is also affordable. With how much work that still needs to be done elsewhere in the village, a broken window doesn’t seem quite as urgent.” Morris sighed.

“Still. We caused it to break. So we should help fix it.” Tressa replied with a pout.

Cyrus, although sympathetic to their plight, couldn’t help but shoot her a disapproving stare. “I do hope you’re not suggesting that we pay for it. I doubt that we can afford to buy a new window, even if all four of us pool our money together.”

“Oh, I’m aware. Buuuuut.” Tressa pressed a finger against her chin as she tried to pull a nugget of information from the back of her brain. “I know of a glassworker who lives in Quarrycrest. He might be willing to come here if I write him a letter. And he kind of owes me, so his services shouldn’t be too pricey either!”

“How exactly does he ‘kind of’ owe you?” Olberic narrowed his eyes.

“It’s nothing shady! I’m not that kind of a merchant!” Her vagueness didn’t dissuade his suspicion, which was why she was glad when Morris gave her a heartfelt thanks.

“If you can recommend us this glassworker, that would be greatly appreciated.” Morris bowed his head in gratitude. “You all have done so much for this village. I fear that there is no conceivable way that your kindness can be repaid.”

“Think nothing of it.” Cyrus waved off his concern. “Helping people out in strange and dangerous situations is apparently what we do now.”

“And we got free meals and a good night’s sleep out of it! Seriously, I haven’t eaten that well in  a long time.” Tressa exclaimed.

“Did you forget of the banquet Quarrycrest held for us last week?” Cyrus asked.

“Well, that was cut short by H’aanit and Mawrice, so that doesn’t count.”

“Speaking of H’aanit, where is she?” Olberic piped up. “It is unusual for her to keep us waiting.”

“I have not seen her all night.” Morris replied. “Although the rest of her monster companions did decide to join her after I told them where she was.”

“Do you guys think she might be in trouble? Maybe we should go back into the caves to find her.” Tressa worriedly suggested.

Cyrus nodded in response. “I agree. Anything could have happened with the blood crystal statue in the Manymaws’s belly.”

Olberic ended up sounding the least concerned, but still concurred with the others. “While I doubt that any serious danger had befallen her, it isn’t a bad idea to check in on her.”

“Well I am gladdened that at least one of thee thinketh that I can taken careth of myself.”

H’aanit’s voice took everyone by surprise. They all whirled around at once and saw her standing near the open trapdoor, with an amused expression on her face. Linde was right next to her, her tail brushing against her legs, while the other monsters slowly clambered out of the basement. Even though the other travelers told everyone else the truth about last night’s performance, the nearby workers shouted in alarm when they noticed the fiends. H’aanit turned around and ushered them back through the trapdoor for now.

“H’aanit!” Tressa ran up to her and gave her a big hug. “Are you alright? Where’s Mawrice?”

“The Manymaws is fine. It cannot fitteth through this entrance, but it remaineth inside the caverns.”

“How will you get it out then?” Cyrus asked.

She paused for a moment, but not because she didn’t know how. It was time for her to break to them the news she had been sitting on all last night. She had honestly been dreading this moment, since it wasn’t exactly pleasant news, but it was something she can’t put off any longer.

“It can wadeth through the flooded river entrance with some effort. But the Manymaws would preferen to liveth in the caves underneath the church.”

“Huh?!”

“H’aanit, you cannot be serious. We did not drag a giant man-eating monster away from a cave next to a town just so it can settle in another cave next to a town!”

“I am serious, Olberic.” H’aanit shot him an unflinching stare. “Believeth me, I woulde have chosen a different home for the Manymaws if I was able. But it has madeth up its mind and cannot be swayed.”

“Not even if you offered it any food?” Cyrus proposed.

“No. It hath plenty of prey in these caves, as well as water, fertile soil, sunlight, darkness, whatever it may asketh for.”

“Except for permission.” Olberic crossed his arms as he spoke. “These are not your caverns and you cannot just drop a monster in them and walk away. It’s the people of Lichenbloom that will be affected, and considering what they just went through, I highly doubt that they would accept the Manymaws as their new neighbor. You will have to find some way to-”

“On the contrary, I don’t mind at all.”

All eyes turned to Morris. His quiet yet powerful words was able to grab the attention of everyone in the room, including the other villagers. He cleared his throat and proceeded to elaborate on what he said.

“The Manymaws aided us during our time of need just as much as you did. So as long as it remains peaceful, I see no problem in allowing it to call the caverns below us its new home.”

“I assureth thee that the Manymaws will not be a bother at all.” H’aanit’s voice took on a more desperate tone. “I spendeth all last night ensuring that it will not seeketh humans as food. But in turn, the townsfolk shoulde be wary about setting foot into the caves. Once settled in, the Manymaws will reacten to intruders on its territory liken any other animals. That is to sayeth, violently.”

“Ah, I don’t think that will be an issue. Those caves were already home to fearsome beasts, so hardly anyone ventured into them before.”

“So the Manymaws can stayeth?”

“If it were up to me, I would say yes. But…”

Morris gave H’aanit a faint smile to ease in what he was about to say next. “You would have to speak to Mayor Willowreed as well. He is in charge of Lichenbloom, and a major decision such as this is something you should run by him.”

“I understand.” H’aanit slowly nodded. She could still vividly recall the last time she spoke to a figure of authority about the Manymaws and the not-so-stellar outcome of that conversation. She hoped that the different circumstances would lead to a different answer, but there was still no guarantee that he would say yes. And if the Manymaws had to leave with them, she didn’t know the next time the stars would align and give them the most optimal opportunity again. Perhaps never.

“Tobias, Samuel.” Morris called out to two of the working men. “Would you be able to fetch Mayor Willowreed for us? There is an important matter to be discussed.”

“Yes, Brother Morris.”

“Of course.”

They dropped what they were doing and hurried out the door. Not long after the two men left, H’aanit’s assorted partners began crawling out of the trapdoor again. They must have been emboldened by the villagers’ departure. First out was the Ratkin, then the shadow sentinel, and last was a small, grotesque, bird-like animal that wobbled about on unsure legs. Once it placed a foot on the stone floor, it fell face first and emitted a loud squeak.

“Is that…?” Cyrus stared at it in disbelief.

“Shelly!” Tressa answered his question as she raced over to the freshly hatched chick. She scooped it up and hugged it. The hatchling squawked and flailed its featherless arms, smacking Tressa’s face repeatedly but not harming her in any way. Once Tressa got the gist of its protests, she set it down and allowed it to stagger towards H’aanit.

“When did you hatch? I can’t believe I missed such a pivotal moment of your life!” She knelt down and stuck a hand out to pet it. The hatchling snapped its beak at her, narrowly missing a finger, but she quickly withdrew her hand nonetheless.

“It hatcheth shortly after it joineth us in the caverns.” H’aanit couldn’t help but smile. The hatchling turned its gaze back to her and shrilled loudly, indicating that it was hungry. She pulled out a small hunk of stale bread to toss into its mouth. It caught it midair and choked it down in a single swallow. Once the Ratkin and Linde noticed that she was dispensing food, they crowded around her and demanded to be fed as well. H’aanit mumbled something about how they just ate not too long ago as she rummaged through her bag for more food.

“But I suppose you can’t call it Shelly anymore, can you?” Cyrus said thoughtfully. “Since it isn’t encased in an eggshell anymore.”

“I think Shelly is still a good name for it!” Tressa replied back. “Just cause it changed how it looks doesn’t mean it’s not the same monster. Although...”

“Is there something amiss, Tressa?” H’aanit asked as she gave the Ratkin and Linde a piece of dried meat each.

“You said that Shelly was going to be pretty when it hatches. But instead, it’s kind of… dumpy.”

“That is a rude remark to sayeth in front of it!” H’aanit picked up the chirping creature and covered its ‘ears’ with her hands. She cooed more encouraging words to it to counteract what Tressa just said. “Doth not listenen to the cruel woman. She does not meaneth what she sayeth.”

“Mmm. I have to agree with Tressa.” Cyrus made the mistake of joining in on the conversation. “It is not the most pleasant thing to look at. But I suppose all infants are like that. Even human infants.”

“Oh, but new life is a wonderful thing.” Now Morris had to get involved. “It has a beauty that nothing else in this world can compare to.”

“Thankest thee for taking my side. At least someone knoweth how beautiful the hatchling really is.”

H’aanit and the rest of them shifted their gaze towards Olberic, who had yet to comment on the issue. If he gave his opinion, he would break the tie of the argument. But he chose wisely and opted to stay out of the silly debate. “Don’t drag me into this.” He grunted.

With that discussion abruptly concluded, Tressa had to find a different topic to fill the silent void. “Say, what happened to Mr. Bones? Where did it go?”

“It’s currently staying with the Manymaws.” H’aanit answered.

“Really? Why’s that?”

“It… did not offereth a clear answer. But I believeth that it liketh the caves as well, and wisheth to liven there.”

“Huh. I didn’t know skeletons have a preference for that sort of thing.” Tressa shrugged.

“It would make sense.” Cyrus interjected again. “Animated skeletons are not well understood among scholars, but one thing is certain: They tend to avoid situations and environments that would hasten their disintegration. So one will not find them in sunny places, or areas undergoing rapid changes. A cave is ideal for them in that regard, and if it has a partner such as the Manymaws to protect it, then that is all the more encouraging.”

“But remember. We still are not certain that the Manymaws is allowed to live there.” Olberic interrupted them. “Or the skeleton. Especially since it will be dwelling underneath a church. ”

He glanced towards Morris during his last sentence. The priest blinked in confusion before realizing that his statement was directed towards him. “Oh. I would not consider it such a big deal as long as the skeleton isn’t a threat to us. The village doesn’t consider the caverns nor its inhabitants part of the church. Otherwise I would also have to be concerned with the monstrous bats and the giant hellbenders down there.”

“The giant what now?”

“The giant hellbenders.” An unfamiliar voice rang out. “They are basically large, carnivorous salamanders that live in the rivers and attack people that get too close to them. And let me tell you, they’re a big pain in the ass.”

The man speaking was surprisingly young, no older than H’aanit, and dressed in casual clothes not unlike the ones worn by the villagers around him. Of which there were a decent number of for some reason. Despite his deceptively youthful appearance, he carried with him an aura of confidence and authority as he stepped forward to greet H’aanit.

“I don’t think I’ve introduced myself to you, have I? My name is Warrick Willowreed. I’m the mayor of this town, but there’s no need to be formal with me. After all, you and your companions saved this village and myself.”

“H’aanit. Tis a pleasure to meet you.” She felt like she had seen his face before. After shaking his hand for a few seconds, she realized that he was one of the men that broke the church’s window last night.

“Mr. Willowreed, I don’t mean to be rude, but why did you bring like half of the town with you?” Tressa spoke up.

“A valid question. When Tobias and Samuel told me why Brother Morris requested my presence, several others decided to come with me as well to see the Manymaws.”

“Th-Thou wanteth to see the Manymaws?” H’aanit sputtered. She thought that they were just going to discuss the possibility of it living here. She was even fine with the prospect of it meeting the mayor. But now that there were so many other people here, she wasn’t sure how it was going to react. The slightest negative response might hurt or completely eliminate all chances of its acceptance.

“Yeah. If it’s going to live within our boundaries, we might as well get to know each other. It’s not a problem, is it?”

“...No.” She responded after thinking things through. “I needeth to speaketh with the Manymaws first, however. It is… unaccustomed to encounters with large groups of humans.”

She didn’t voice her concerns precisely, but the other townspeople picked up what she was hinting at. Murmurs of discomfort rippled through the crowd and several people gave her dirty looks. Mr. Willowreed ignored their passive protests and simply nodded.

“Go ahead. Let us know when you’re ready.”

H’aanit nodded back and hastened through the trapdoor, with all of her companions in tow. The basement was more spacious than one would presume for a church of a small village, but it still wasn’t roomy enough for the Manymaws. She had to proceed down another set of stairs that connected the basement to the caverns. At the foot of the flight of steps was the enormous tentacled monstrosity that was the root of so many of their problems for the past week. And also the solution to the worst problem they had in a long while. The Manymaws reached out with a tendril and a pleased growl. An unacquainted onlooker would presume that it was a display of affection, but she knew that it was really looking for food.

“I haveth not any morsels for thee right now.” H’aanit brushed its tentacle away. “But I do haveth some urgent news. The mayor of this village and some villagers will be coming to see thee. I needeth thee to be on thy best behavior or else thou wilst not be allowed to stay in these caves. So do not toucheth the humans, roareth at the humans, nor seeketh food from them.”

The Manymaws emitted an odd high-pitched whine. H’aanit gave one of its tentacles a reassuring pat.

“They aren not here to harmeth thee. I wilt see to that. They art merely here to judgen thee, and if thou playen nice, thou wilst not haveth to encounteren them again.”

A low grumble with a hint of resignation escaped from tentacle H’aanit was touching. She lightly tapped it again before pulling away.

“Good. I am leaving momentarily, but willeth be back shortly. Doe not forgeteth what I just said.”

She sprinted back up the stairs, through the basement, and then up another stairway to reach the mayor and his entourage. She thought she wasn’t gone for long, but apparently Tressa and Cyrus had to keep the mob entertained with one of their wild stories. As soon as she emerged out of the trapdoor, the two of them halted their recollection and all eyes turned to her.

“Um. The Manymaws is ready to see all of thee.” H’aanit wasn’t used to being the center of attention like this. Her voice was barely above a whisper yet they were able to understand her anyway. They soon all shuffled into the basement and she led them to where the Manymaws awaited. She heard it straighten up from the approach of so many footsteps and gestured to everyone to stay where they are lest they got too close to the Manymaws too quickly.

“Where is it?”

“Is it over there?”

“It is here. Just. Be quiet and do not overreacten.” H’aanit had trouble finding the right words to say to them, which was already not a good sign of how this scenario will play out. She held out her torch and walked forward until its shadowy silhouette turned into a fully visible, monstrous visage. It reared up and hissed when it saw the flame but calmed down once it spotted who was wielding it. Still, it managed to terrifying much of the crowd behind her. Some of the people screamed and one of the women fainted from terror on the spot. The Manymaws, frightened by the sudden noise, added to the din a vile shriek of its own.

“Holdeth! Tis alright! They art not thine enemies!” H’aanit casted the torch aside so she can pet the beast with both hands. At the same time, Mr. Willowreed, Morris, Cyrus, Tressa, and Olberic worked on soothing the crowd.

“By the gods! The Manymaws appears to be just as horrendous as when I last saw it!” Mr. Willowreed exclaimed as he picked up H’aanit’s fallen torch. “I thought that it was the work of your magic, but no. Real life can be just as terrifying as illusions sometimes.”

“I promisen thee, the Manymaws is not as terrible as it looketh.” H’aanit objected. “It only seemeth liken that when confronted with hostile enemies, or loud humans.”

She pointed the last part of her sentence towards the other villagers. Several of the men among them were hauling the fainted woman out of the caverns. The others had quieted down and regarded the monster with wary stares and hushed words. They remained where they were, not daring to step any closer but not about to run away either. Which should be encouraging, but H’aanit didn’t think of it that way. For all she knew, they were convinced that it was going to sneak into their town at night and drag unfortunate souls to the afterlife like the unholy abomination it appeared to be.

“So you can communicate with it? That is absolutely fascinating.” Mr. Willowreed was brave enough to stand next to H’aanit, but remained at a respectable distance from the Manymaws.

“How do you do it? Does it understand words?”

“Not quite. Over time, it may understandeth what the noise coming out of my mouth meaneth. But it mostly readeth my body language, the tone of my voice, and my intent.”

“I see.” Mr. Willowreed sounded just like Cyrus sometimes. Perhaps he was a scholar of some sort before becoming a mayor? “So would it understand me if I said hello like this?”

He waved at the Manymaws. In return, it stretched out a tentacle and snapped at him, almost biting his hand off. H’aanit had to push it back at the last second. Mr. Willowreed yelped in surprise and held onto his hand to make sure it was still intact. Although he was frightened for an instant, he still retained his boldness and straightened himself a mere moment later.

“I… woulde not beeth too comfortable with it like that. It may very easily mistaken thy movements as offerings of food.”

“So it’s hungry all the time, eh?”

“Sadly, yes.”

“And it eats a lot!” Tressa chimed in. “At least H’aanit is a good hunter so we didn’t have to spend lot of money feeding it.”

“Erm, you’re not expecting us to feed it, are you?”

H’aanit shook her head profusely. “It is a wild animal. Although I have been giving it food while it traveleth through unfamiliar lands, it shoulde be able to fendeth for itself once it calleth this place its own. There is no need for worry.”

“Good. But I am curious…” Mr. Willowreed’s eyes flitted towards the Manymaws. “What does it eat?”

If H’aanit listed out everything that composed its diet, they would be down here forever. So she opted to keep her response short and vague. “Meat, mostly. But it can consumeth a wide variety of edible foods, and, unfortunately, an assortment of non-edible things. It also can absorbeth nourishment from the earth like a plant.”

“How very interesting!” He looked over the monster with wide eyes while the crowd behind him gathered the courage to speak up.

“What kind of meat can it eat, specifically?” A man wearing a farmer’s outfit asked.

“Any meat. Tis not a picky eater. I have fed it fish, venison, mountain goat, even monster flesh.”

“What about something that’s already dead and rotting?”

That question took her surprise and she narrowed her eyes as she spoke. She had a feeling that this man was fishing for a specific answer. “... Yes. Putrid food wilt not bother it.”

“Harold, are you planning on feeding that thing your dead cows?” A woman next to the inquiring man scowled at him.

“I’m just wonderin’. Cause it would take me all day to bury them, but if I can just dump ‘em in the river for it to eat, that will save me a lot of time and effort!”

“I have some sheep that it could eat too.” Another man muttered.

“How about some rotten wood?” A teenage boy piped up. “Part of my ma’s house was ruined in that flood, and I was just gonna toss the garbage aside, but it won’t look pretty while it decays in the yard.”

“Holdeth on-”

H’aanit’s words were drowned out by a chorus of inquiries. She couldn’t answer them all at once and her friends also struggled to calm the crowd. The Manymaws perked up out of curiosity rather than alarm, but she feared it would be only a matter of time before the raucous chatter frightened it into acting. Luckily, the people’s mayor managed to silence them with a wave of his hand and a loud, unfaltering voice.

“Let the huntress speak, will ya? There’s no need to talk over each other like this!”

“Thanketh thee.” H’aanit nodded towards Mr. Willowreed. “To answereth all of thine questions… I supposen it will accepteth dead animals. But if thou tosseth it into the river, it woulde just poisoneth the water before it floweth to the Manymaws. It woulde be better to leaveth the bodies outside of the cave. And I knoweth not if it will accepteth wooden debris, for I haft never observeth it consume such a meal.”

“But soil is made out of organic material such as rotten wood, so it’s not unreasonable to theorize that it can eat it.” Cyrus pointed out. “Although it may have to break it down into a palpable form first. That would be a most interesting sight to see.”

“Thou art still forbidden to feedeth it anything.” H’aanit scowled as she remembered the last time he gave the Manymaws something to eat.

“What?” Cyrus exclaimed with an innocuous tone. “If it can digest a blood crystal statue with no ill effects, surely it won’t be harmed by some wooden planks.”

“Thou dost not knoweth that for certain! Besides, thou should not useth the Manymaws as a dumping grounds for garbage. It is a living creature and shoulde be treated with respect.”

“Soooo I can’t feed it wood?” The young man from before spoke up again.

H’aanit was about to reply back with a yes, but hesitated. If she refused him, it might upset the audience and hurt the Manymaws’s chances of staying here. But she still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of the village feeding it refuse. Not only did it indicate that the town merely thought of it as a convenient method of disposal, unfortunate incidents may follow if the Manymaws grew too comfortable with the easy source of food.

“If it helps,” Mr. Willowreed interrupted her thoughts. “Lichenbloom is not subjected to such catastrophic floods regularly. You can be assured that we will not be feeding it dead animals or wooden wreckage often enough so it can become accustomed to us.”

“...It thoust can guarantee that, then I will alloweth it. But for thy safety, I woulde also suggest leaving any offerings far from the populace, and to not lingereth too long. The Manymaws may be unpredictable after it feedeth and the food may attracteth other unfriendly scavengers as well.”

“I will make sure everyone is aware of your warnings, but I’m sure we all have enough common sense to figure that out by ourselves. Right guys?”

Mr. Willowreed turned to his people, who all nodded in response. Seeing them all agree with him was a sight that warmed her heart. H’aanit could finally relax, knowing that the Manymaws had a place to call home at last.

Before she could express her gratitude, the mayor did so first. “Thank you for agreeing to this. We have a lot of work ahead of us to rebuild our village and it’s wonderful that our newest neighbor can help us.”

“Do not thanken me yet. Tis up to the Manymaws to accepteth what thou leaveth for it. But I can’t see it refuseth the meat at the very least.”

“Ah. Of course.” Mr. Willowreed was about to stick his hand out for the Manymaws to shake, but realized that it couldn’t actually shake hands and withdrew it before it got snapped at again.

“And I shoulde be thanking thee for allowing the Manymaws to liveth here. It shoulde not be a bother to anyone when left alone. But if it does becometh a problem, send for me and I will helpeth thee, no matter where I am.”

“That’s a mighty generous proposition. Hopefully we will never have to take you up on that.”

“Glad that’s settled!” Tressa clapped her hands like she usually did when a transaction worked out well for her. “But let’s get out of these musty caves for now. H’aanit, I’m sure that you had enough of the darkness and the mildew and there’s some stuff you need to take care of aboveground!”

“Yes. Of course.”

H’aanit turned to bid the Manymaws farewell for now. She planned on coming back, but for now they needed to prepare for their next travels. It felt strange not having a hulking monstrosity trailing behind her anymore, but it was also liberating for both her and the Manymaws. She didn’t have to worry about scaring any nearby humans, and it didn’t have to be dragged through unnatural situations anymore.

Once they were back inside the church, Mr. Willowreed asked the others if he could have a private moment with H’aanit. He promised them that he wouldn’t take long, so they agreed and left them alone for a little bit.

“What is it that thou wisheth to speak to me about?” H’aanit asked. The mayor was looking a lot more forlorn and subdued than before, so she assumed that he had a serious matter in mind.”

“I… I already spoke to your friends about this. But I wanted to also thank you personally for saving my daughter, Eleanor.”

“Eleanor is thy daughter?” She couldn’t help but sound shocked, considering the ages of the two of them.

“Yes. She was born when I was barely a man, so it felt like I spent most of my life raising her. When the river flooded and she was swept away, I could scarcely believe it. And when that man came back with her by his side…”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath so his grief wouldn’t garble his words. “I believed his lies too easily. I helped lead this town down his dark path and endangered us. If Brother Morris hadn’t recruited you-”

“Please silence thyself.” H’aanit placed a hand on his shoulder to make him stop talking. “Tis natural for a father to go to great lengths to save his child. Thou needeth not apologize for loving thy daughter.”

“But I’m the mayor. I should have known better.”

“That man was a conniving dastard. By taking advantage of thy tragedy, he could have convinced even the wisest of men. I imploreth thee to not beaten thyself up over a mistake any sane person woulde committeth.”

Mr. Willowreed let out a chuckle that brightened the otherwise dour mood. “You really are a kind person. I can see why monsters like you. I suppose I can’t convince you to stay in Lichenbloom as well?”

“A gracious offer, but I must decline.” H’aanit smiled with him. “I already have a home, and a mission. I cannot rest my laurels until I finished what I setten out to do.”

“That’s a shame. But it’s understandable.”

“Besides, we did not really rescueth thy daughter. She is still dead, and we coulde not even saveth her body.”

“But you slew the fiend that controlled her and put her soul to rest. Since she was unsaveable from the moment the river claimed her, you did the next best thing and did more than I could ever hope for.”

“I toldeth thee to not beaten thyself up, didn’t I?”

“I’m not beating myself up! I’m thanking you for what you did for me. You and your friends achieved something extraordinary, and I wish we could do more for all of you than just giving you food and lodging.”

“And thou hast given the Manymaws a home as well. For me, that is a more than adequate payment.”

“I am glad to hear that.” Mr. Willowreed sounded more chipper now, as if he hadn’t talked about a gloomy matter just mere moments ago. “Although I do have one more request to ask of you.”

“Oh?”

“Olberic, Cyrus, and Tressa told me about what really went down in those caverns, but they haven’t told to the other townspeople. To them, Eleanor was merely swept away by the underground river. Would you mind keeping quiet about that as well? I don’t think anyone else needs to know about the dark power that man held.”

“Of course. Thou hast my word.”

“Thank you again. Your promise means a lot to me.” Mr. Willowreed shook H’aanit’s hand and patted her on the shoulder. “Now I shall keep my other promise and let you join your friends. I imagine there’s a lot to do before you all leave.”

* * *

H’aanit had only interacted with the villagers of Lichenbloom for a short while but she was already confident that she will miss their hospitality. They showered the group of travelers with gifts of all sorts, ranging from food to medicine to clothing and everything in between. Many strangers ran right up to them to express their gratitude. And the denizens that were too busy to engage in conversation still acknowledged their presence with a smile and a wave of their hands. They even didn’t mind her entourage of monsters that trailed behind her. For the most part, anyways. There were still some alarmed cries and gasps if the beasts took them off guard.

“Man, I wish we could stay here longer.” Tressa exclaimed as she accepted another gift from a passersby. They continued to receive spontaneous attention even when they holed up in a small gathering place, not quite a tavern, to plan their next move. “It almost feels rude to take off the day after we save the town from an evil cultist.”

“You know the reason why we cannot linger.” Olberic was more focused on the map laid out in front of everyone than the merchant’s complaints. “We have kept our friends in Saintsbridge waiting long enough, no thanks to what the Manymaws has put us through.”

“But Mawrice helped us get all this free stuff! Look!”

Tressa opened the recently received package and showed Olberic a hefty bundle of green leaves and stems that spilled out all over the map. “These are Riverlands watercress! They only grow in this region, near pristine water, and fetch a high price elsewhere!”

“Hm? I woulde thinketh it a waste if thou were to sell these.” H’aanit picked up a stalk to examine it. “They doe not keep very long, so it woulde be better if we eateth them.”

“Also, it was by our own efforts that the village was saved.  Just because the Manymaws helped us once doesn’t mean I will discount the number of times it hindered us on our travels.” Olberic pushed some of the watercress away while he stared at Tressa.

“Awww come on Olberic. Mawrice is leaving us and this is how you think of it still?”

“I’m just not letting all these presents cloud my judgement.”

“I think you are diminishing its actions, however.” Cyrus butted in. “It was a great help to us in quite a few battles, not just the one that occured yesterday. And who knows what may have happened if it hadn’t swallowed the statue in time.”

“I woulde not consideren that a boon.” H’aanit glared at him. No matter how many times he brought that incident up in a positive manner, she was still going to remain upset at his reckless decision.

“Point being, its companionship wasn’t entirely unwelcome. I think I’m going to miss it, all things considered.”

“Same here.” Tressa nodded.

“As will I.” H’aanit piped up. All three of them paused, expecting Olberic to chime in with his own affirmation. But when he remained silent, they went back to nattering about other matters. Although H’aanit’s mind were still filled with the Manymaws, and its impact on the group. She would never have thought that Cyrus and Tressa would grow as attached to the Manymaws as she did. Even Olberic might have some begrudging respect towards it since it took a blow for him last night. It made the upcoming departure all the more bittersweet.

A heavy-set man man suddenly appeared before the group and bequeathed them a large paper-wrapped package. It was quite heavy, judging from how it shook the table when he slammed it down.

“Eh? What’s this?” Tressa asked as she reached over towards the present.

“It’s some prime steak for the missus. Freshly slain and drained.” The man announced. He gently pushed the slab of meat towards H’aanit, indicating that she was the ‘missus’ who ordered it.

“Whoooa!” Tressa ignored H’aanit’s claim over it anyway and untied the twine binding it so she could take a peek at the prize inside. “This will go great with the watercress! I can’t wait to sprinkle it on!”

“Ah… Watercress is a vegetable, not an herb. You shouldn’t use it to season meat like that. Am I correct?” Cyrus glanced towards H’aanit, the most knowledgeable cook among them.

“That is true. Watercress can be eaten raw or cooked. Tis also delicious in a soup. But this morsel is not belonging to thee.”

“Huh? What do you mean H’aanit?”

“I boughteth this steak as a… farewell gift for the Manymaws. Before we leaveth this town behind us, I thought to meeteth with it for the last time.”

“You want to visit the Manymaws again?” Olberic crossed his arms and stared at her fiercely.

“Yes. Dost thou haveth a problem with that?”

He didn’t respond for a few seconds, creating a tense atmosphere around the table. But his expression finally softened as he relaxed his arms. “No. There is no problem.”

“You didn’t mention that you were going to do that! Were you planning to go up there without us?” Tressa asked as she wrapped the steak back up.

H’aanit nodded, even though she knew it would upset Tressa further. “I did not thinketh that any of thee woulde desire to spendeth more time in the caverns than thou already hast.”

“But the Manymaws is our friend! We have to come and say goodbye too! Right Cyrus?”

“Of course.” He replied back with a smile. Although neither of them opted to ask for Olberic’s opinion this time, he let out a sigh that told them that he was going to join them, if only to not get left behind.

“I… I apologize for not asking all of thee about this earlier.” H’aanit couldn’t help but smile, despite being the subject of scrutiny. “Thou art welcome to cometh with me. I am certain that the Manymaws will be gladdened by thy company.”

With that matter settled, the group of travelers quickly packed their things and left for the church. They were careful not to be distracted by the villagers again, but in their rush they gave off the sense of urgency that allowed them to avoid too much attention. They arrived at the church again, where Brother Morris and some other men were focused on repairs. Once they explained to Morris what needed to be done, he not only allowed them to venture down into the caverns one last time, but also asked to join them.

“Are you certain? There are quite a number of steps you will have to climb up and down. And it’s also rather dark, dingy, and damp. It’s not a place where an elderly man should hang out.” Cyrus asked him in a concerned voice.

“Worry not, dear scholar.” Morris patted him on the shoulder. “This old body takes me up and down this hill everyday, so a quick trip like this shouldn’t bother me. Besides, I wish to see my new neighbor all settled in.”

As his decision was final, the group of humans and creatures all headed down together without further questions. H’aanit led the way with a new torch in hand while her monsters and Olberic was right beside her in case trouble brewed. Tressa and Cyrus held onto Morris’s arms as he slowly made his way down the increasingly uneven stairs and through the darkening hallways. H’aanit eventually held up her hand to halt the trek. The caves were quiet at first, then came the sound of shuffling leaves and tentacles as the Manymaws approached.

“Hello again.” She greeted the beast with a melancholy smile. In its shadow was the animated skeleton that opted to stay here as well. She did not force it into the light, seeing how far back it hung, but she said hello to it as well. The Manymaws offered its own greeting by poking and prodding at her body with its teethy tendrils. She let out a laugh as it tickled her, handed the torch to Olberic, and pulled out a wrapped object from her bag. For once, she actually did have the treat it was looking for. H’aanit untied the strings and peeled away the parchment to reveal the freshly prepared steak. She picked up the steak and held it in front of the Manymaws, who stared at it and swayed with it with an extended tentacle. Once she decided to not test its patience any further, she tossed the meat upward. The Manymaws snatched it mid-air and devoured it in a single bite.

“That is the last meal thou wilt be receiving from me. Thou art on thy own now.” She told it. The monster acted like it didn’t understand her and searched her body again for more food. She laughed again and pushed the tentacles away.

“Truely. I am here to sayeth goodbye. From this moment, our paths divergeth. Thou will haveth a new life in these caves, and I will returneth to my quest to find my master.”

H’aanit’s stern voice and somber expression got her point across. The Manymaws stopped begging for food and let its tentacles droop towards the ground. H’aanit stroked one of them and spoke reassuringly, even though this farewell was upsetting her too.

“Do not looken so sorrowful. Thou will haveth the peace and freedom that thou hast been wishing for. As long as thou art kind to the villagers, like how thou art kind to me.”

A loud sniffle caused H’aanit to turn around. Tressa’s eyes were watery as she blew her nose with a handkerchief. She also spotted a similarly mournful face on Cyrus, and perhaps even Olberic?

“All of thee can sayeth thy goodbyes now. Do not be shy.” She waved them over. Tressa was the first to heed H’aanit’s beckoning. She put her handkerchief away after her nose had cleared up and embraced the Manymaws in the biggest hug her short arms could muster.

“I’m really going to miss you, Mawrice!” She cried out. Tears were starting to well up in her eyes again. “You’re the most awesome monster friend that H’aanit had picked up!”

She held onto the Manymaws for a long while until it was Cyrus’s turn. Since H’aanit still prohibited him from touching it, he stood in front of it at a respectful distance instead.

“Thank you for disposing of the blood crystal statue. I hope it didn’t cause you any indigestion.” His voice wavered as he struggled to keep his cheery tone. “And… thank you for everything else. You have aided us so many times, and I have come to learn a great deal about your kind and the world we live in through you.”

Cyrus stretched out his right hand. H’aanit was about to scold him for it, but the Manymaws reached out to meet him with one of its smaller tentacles and brushed it against his palm. His eyes widened in shock and he let out a nervous but joyous laugh.

“I’m glad you feel the same way, Mawrice! Maybe you can get me back into H’aanit’s good graces?”

“I woulde not push thy luck.”

Cyrus chuckled again as he backed off to make way for Olberic. His face was devoid of any emotion, or maybe too many emotions, as he stared the monster down. H’aanit wasn’t sure what he was going to say, or how the Manymaws would react him. So she was completely caught off guard when he patted one of its tentacles and spoke softly.

“You take care now, you hear?”

The Manymaws emitted a high-pitched trill and brought several of its other tentacles closer. Although Olberic was comfortable with touching one of them, he still a little frightened by the others and excused himself before they pulled him into a hug.

Not to be outdone by the humans, H’aanit’s monstrous entourage stepped closer to bid their farewells. Linde, the Ratkin, and the newly emerged chick growled and chirped, to which the Manymaws responded with its own cries. While the shadow sentinel and the mostly flattened wanderweed gave their goodbyes in silence. The skeleton crept a little closer so it could join in on the commotion, although once they were done it retreated back into the shadows.

To H’aanit’s surprise, Morris wanted to speak with the Manymaws as well. Not to say goodbye, but to present a proper welcome.

“My name is Morris Muir. I attend to the church that you live under, so, ah, we are like neighbors in a way. The first times we met were during dire circumstances and I may not have acted appropriately. But I hope that, moving forward, we will get along swimmingly.”

He didn’t move to touch it like the others did, but that was fine by the Manymaws. It growled in a friendly way in response to his words.

“Brother Morris, thou knowest that per the arrangement I have maden with Mr. Willowreed, thou shoulde keepeth contact to a minimum to prevent any unfortunate incidents.”

“I’m aware of that. But we should be on familiar grounds in case I should require its aid and it should require mine, no?”

H’aanit paused to reflect on what he just said. She never thought to hear that from someone that wasn’t a hunter. Her hesitation allowed him to continue.

“And even then, I sense that you want me to. If only so that the Manymaws has someone it can trust and to keep it safe.”

“I-” H’aanit sputtered as she tried to not incriminate herself against his insightful words. “I woulde not putteth it like that. The Manymaws is a wild creature and can fendeth itself from harm. But if thou can watcheth over it, ensureth that the town does not forgetteth its promise, then I woulde be forever grateful.”

“That seems doable for someone like me. You need not to worry.”

“Thankest thee, Brother Morris. How did thou knoweth my concern, anyway?”

“It was written plainly on your face.” The priest gave her a wry grin. “A guardian will always fret about her child, even if she is letting it go. She doesn’t need to talk to let it be known.”

“Ah, excuse me, if you are going to watch over the Manymaws, then I want you to have this.”

Cyrus interrupted the two of them to hand Morris a book. H’aanit recognized it as his research on the Manymaws during the time it was in their party. She was flabbergasted that he would give away something so valuable and apparently Tressa was just as shocked too with how loudly she gasped.

“Cyrus! Is that-”

“Notes about the Manymaws, yes. It should help you in case something is amiss with it. And perhaps, if you’re willing, you can continue my work as well.”

“Oh, I can’t possibly accept this. This is your area of expertise, not mine!” Morris gently pushed his hands away.

“I insist. You do not need to be formal with what you write. And next time in the area, I can catch up with what transpired while we were gone.”

Cyrus shoved the book back towards him. With how insistent he was, Morris had no choice but to accept his gift with profuse thanks.

Although H’aanit wouldn’t mind staying down here longer, she couldn’t say goodbye forever. They needed to be back on the road today and they were wasting precious daylight hours. Still, when she turned to leave with the others, the Manymaws whined loudly and schooched towards her. H’aanit running back to its side and placed a hand on its pale, wrinkly skin.

“It will be ok. Thou hast lived without me before, and thou can doeth so again. And if thou needeth human assistance, Brother Morris and Mr. Willowreed can helpeth thee.”

Another whine. The Manymaws placed a tentacle around her shoulders. She wrapped an arm around it and gave it a squeeze.

“I will misseth thee. More than thou can ever knoweth. But this is thy home, and I cannot stayeth here with you. Perhaps when my mission is complete, and the gods willeth it, we can meeteth again.”

If her words weren’t able to comfort the Manymaws, the warble in her voice and the budding tears in her eyes did the trick. She felt its grasp on her shoulder weakening and she loosened her grip in return.

“Thankest thee. For saving this village, for lending thy strength in battle, for lightening our days, for being a part of our lives even for the briefest of moments. I will never be able to forgeteth thee.”

H’aanit gave the Manymaws one final pat before peeling away from it entirely. The Manymaws didn’t beckon her back, as it finally understood the meaning of her words and actions. It roared out its own farewell that reverberated throughout its new home as H’aanit and the others were about to head back to the surface. Just before she placed a foot on the stairs that led to her next journey, she turned around one last time. She couldn’t let a hearty goodbye go unanswered.

“Goodbye, Mawrice!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the first multi-chapter story I've actually completed. I've written a bunch of stuff before but I haven't actually finished anything because I'd get bored or my stories were too long. I want to thank my sister for beta reading everything and putting up with my indecisiveness/nagging. And also thank you, the readers, for joining along on the ride! Hopefully I will have more Octopath fanfics coming. :)


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